Thermwood将热力成像添加到大型添加的制造机

Thermwood, the manufacturers of large format 3D printer, have announced the addition of thermographic imaging to their Large-Scale-Additive-Manufacturing machines (LSAM) machines. This addition allows precise control of heat during the printing process. The U.S. company claim the addition of thermal imaging will improve print quality and minimize printing faults. The LSAM machine developed by Thermwood has a 3D printing build volume of “10ft wide, 5ft high up to 100ft long” and the machine can also use a CNC milling head to subtract material or finish the surface of a 3D print.

This technique is frequently referred to as Hybrid AM. In the case of the LSAM the 3D printing technique is FDM/FFF and the printhead is fed with pellets of plastic rather than the filament normally seen on desktop machines.

The importance of heat management

Heat management is an important aspect of 3D printing. In order to print successfully, the temperature of the printing surface needs to the correct temperature in order to fuse with the new layer yet sufficiently cool and solid enough to maintain integrity. This sweet-spot can be difficult to configure, thus Thermwood are utilizing thermographic imagery in order to control the temperature of their printing. As the software shows above, the optimal temperature is represented by the color green.

来自热力计相机的图像与LSAM的冷却功能相结合。如果成像显示表面变得太热，则操作员可以降低打印速度并通过风扇增加冷却。虽然太冷，但冷却可以降低并打印速度固定。此过程很容易通过上面显示的拨盘来控制。

The new thermographic camera can be mounted in three different ways: in a fixed position looking at the part, on the print gantry for large parts, or on to the printhead as shown above. This camera feeds images to the operator in real time allowing them to adjust controls accordingly. Elsewhere, if you’re interested in large scale additive manufacturing, the BigRep recently announced a new partnership. Also, 3DPI recently explored how Renishaw are approaching industrial 3D printing and heat management.

资源：https://3dprintingindustry.com/