Patents Assigned to Sodick Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20230347417
    Abstract: A build region limitation unit for an additive manufacturing apparatus includes a movable unit fixed to a build table and a non-movable unit placed on a base frame. The movable unit includes a first anti-scattering frame provided to protrude upward. The non-movable unit includes a flat plate that covers a first build region with a portion other than an opening and forms a second build region, and a second anti-scattering frame that is provided to protrude downward at an outer periphery of the opening. The first anti-scattering frame surrounds the second anti-scattering frame with a gap therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2023
    Publication date: November 2, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuji OKAZAKI, Katsuhiro NAKANO
  • Patent number: 11801577
    Abstract: A 5-axis processing machine includes a mounting table on which a tool and a work piece are placed; and a control unit; wherein the mounting table is moved relatively by three linear axes and two rotation axes based on NC data, the two rotation axes include a first axis and a second axis, when the control unit calculates a rotation angle of the two rotation axes, the control unit acquires an axis vector Na that specifies an actual first axis direction and an axis vector Nc that specifies an actual second axis direction, the control unit calculates a posture vector K that specifies a posture at a time of processing the work piece with respect to the tool from the NC data, the control unit calculates, as a solution of a following equation (4), an actual rotation angle ? around the first axis of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoya Yokota, Michihisa Kawasaki, Munetaka Ambai
  • Publication number: 20230339162
    Abstract: An injection molding machine includes an injection device including at least first and second injection units, and one mold clamping device. A molding material is injected into a first cavity space by the first injection unit, and a molding material is injected into a second cavity space by the second injection unit. The injection molding machine further includes a control device controlling the injection device and the mold clamping device, and a storage device storing a set time in advance. The control device starts injection of the second injection unit after elapse of the set time from a predetermined time point. The predetermined time point is a time point at which the first injection unit starts injection or an earlier time point. The set time is a delay time for delaying start of injection of the second injection unit from start of injection of the first injection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shuji AIBA
  • Patent number: 11794252
    Abstract: A lamination molding method, which repeats a material layer forming step of forming a material layer and a solidifying step of irradiating an irradiation region of the material layer with laser beams scanned by n scanners to form a solidified layer, includes: a first dividing step and an irradiation order deciding step. In the first dividing step, the irradiation region is divided to 2n-1 or more divided regions by a plurality of first dividing lines in a manner that irradiation time of each of the divided regions to which the laser beams are simultaneously irradiated becomes equal. In the irradiation order deciding step, an irradiation order of the divided regions in the solidifying step is decided in a manner that the laser beams are simultaneously irradiated to the divided regions that are not adjacent, and the laser beams are not simultaneously irradiated to the divided regions that are adjacent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ichiro Araie, Toshio Kaji, Yasuyuki Miyashita, Katsuhiko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20230302572
    Abstract: A laser processing method that enables more precise processing using an ultrashort pulse laser. The laser processing method includes: a low fluence step of processing one or more layers to be processed sequentially from the workpiece by irradiating the layers to be processed with a pulse laser beam having a pulse width of less than 10 picoseconds at a predetermined low fluence; and a high fluence step of removing a protrusion generated on a surface of the layers to be processed by irradiation with the pulse laser beam at a high fluence higher than the low fluence, wherein the low fluence step and the high fluence step are repeated one or more times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinori OGAWA, Tetsuya IMAI, Takeshi JIN
  • Publication number: 20230302579
    Abstract: A laser processing device, including: an irradiation device, and a control device. The irradiation device is configured to process one or more target layers sequentially from the workpiece by irradiating the target layers with a pulse laser beam having a pulse width of less than 10 picoseconds at a predetermined low fluence, and to removing a protrusion generated on a surface of the target layers by irradiation with the pulse laser beam at a high fluence higher than the low fluence. The control device includes a switching unit and a switching condition setting unit. The switching unit switches the pulse laser beam output from said irradiation device between the low fluence and the high fluence based on switching conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya IMAI, Takeshi JIN
  • Publication number: 20230294174
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a build table on which a material layer is formed by supply of material powder, and an irradiator that irradiates the material layer with an energy beam and forms a solidified layer. A temperature adjuster includes a heater that heats the build table to a set temperature and a first cooler that cools the build table. A refrigerant circulation device adjusts a temperature of a refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant between itself and a first cooler. A control device is configured to control a supply refrigerant temperature being the temperature of the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant circulation device based on the set temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsutaka MURANAKA, Yoshitaka Kato
  • Patent number: 11759864
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a chamber, a material layer former, and a guide member. The material layer former includes a base on which a molding region is present, a recoater head that moves on the base in a horizontal direction while discharging material, and a blade that levels the material to form a material layer. The guide member includes a feed chute that is configured to enable the material to be flowed, a shaft that is provided to shut a lower end portion of the feed chute and has a through hole, and a rotary actuator that rotates the shaft. The discharge of the material is switched to an on- or off-state by rotating the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Saito, Shuji Okazaki
  • Patent number: 11731200
    Abstract: The lamination molding apparatus includes an irradiator, a processing device, a cooling device, and an inert gas supply source. The irradiator irradiates a laser beam or an electron beam to a material layer to form a solidified layer. The processing device includes a processing head for holding a tool, and a processing head driver for moving the processing head in at least a horizontal direction. The cooling device is arranged in the processing head and cools a solidified body formed by laminating the solidified layers to a cooling temperature. The cooling device includes a cold gas discharger having a cold gas discharge port for discharging a cold gas being an inert gas having a temperature equal to or lower than the cooling temperature, and discharging the cold gas toward the solidified body. The inert gas supply source supplies the inert gas to the cold gas discharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuji Okazaki, Naoto Nakamura, Shuichi Kawada
  • Patent number: 11724312
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a three-dimensional molded object includes repeating formation of a material layer and formation of a solidified layer, the material layer being formed by spreading a metal material on a base plate and the solidified layer being formed by irradiating the material layer with a laser beam or an electron beam, thereby molding a solidified body which is a laminated solidified layer on the base plate; and subjecting the base plate and the solidified body after molding to a heat treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Itaru Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 11717890
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus includes: a chamber, including a front plate; a door, provided at an opening of the front plate; an irradiator; a gas supplier, supplying an inert gas to the chamber; and a gas discharger, discharging the inert gas from the chamber. The gas supplier includes a middle nozzle and a lower nozzle. The middle nozzle is provided so as to cross the opening when the door is closed, has one end swingably supported on the front plate, and swings independently of opening and closing of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsutaka Muranaka
  • Patent number: 11701711
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing material powder for metal laminating modelling, in which a virgin material is manufactured based on the particle size distribution of the virgin material being an unused material powder, and the fluidity of an unsintered reused material after the virgin material is reused a predetermined number of times by a metal laminating modelling device, so that the particle size distribution of the virgin material corresponds to the fluidity of the reused material that is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard value. Silica particles may be added to the virgin material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsutaka Muranaka
  • Publication number: 20230201940
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a wire electric discharge machine and a wire electric discharge machining method capable of detecting concentrated electric discharge in real time by a discharge position obtained from a preliminary discharge current, and calculating an accurate discharge position for use in measuring a plate thickness or the like. The wire electric discharge machine according to the disclosure includes a discharge position calculation circuit calculating a discharge position from the preliminary discharge current respectively detected through a current detector during a first period from a time when a waveform of the preliminary discharge current supplied to a machining gap, formed by a wire electrode and a workpiece, rises to a time when the preliminary discharge current reaches a constant current value, and a second period after the time when the preliminary discharge current reaches the constant current value to a time when a main discharge current is supplied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2022
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: KUNIHARU YAMADA, TOMOHITO HANAWA, YOSHIKI ENDO
  • Patent number: 11684987
    Abstract: A wire electric discharge machining apparatus is provided. The wire electric discharge machining apparatus includes an upper support that supports an upper guide unit that guides a wire electrode on an upper side. The upper support includes an arm having a lower end provided with the upper guide unit, an axis drive portion moving the arm in at least one axial direction and made of a material that has a larger coefficient of linear expansion than ceramics, and an adjustment block connecting the arm and the axis drive portion and made of ceramics. The adjustment block is fixed at a position where a displacement of the upper guide unit caused by expansion and contraction of the upper support is suppressed by a bimetal effect occurring on a fastening surface of the axis drive portion and the adjustment block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Sakaguchi, Akio Hosaka
  • Publication number: 20230191514
    Abstract: Provided is an electric discharge machining apparatus including: a wire guide, positioning and guiding a wire electrode stretched perpendicularly to a horizontal line; a power conductor, energizing the wire electrode; a guide assembly, accommodating the wire guide and the power conductor; an extrusion member, provided in the guide assembly and pushing out the power conductor in a direction of the wire electrode; a drive device, reciprocating the extrusion member in a horizontal uniaxial direction; a fixing device, fixing the power conductor in a predetermined position within the guide assembly by the extrusion member; and an elastic member, provided coaxially with the extrusion member of the fixing device and constantly pushing out the power conductor in the direction of the wire electrode in a state in which the power conductor is attachable to and detachable from the guide assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi SAKAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20230191516
    Abstract: A wire electric discharge machining apparatus includes a wire electrode and upper and lower guide devices guiding the wire electrode, and includes: a power conductor moving in a first direction as a horizontal axis direction and supplying power by contacting the wire electrode; and a fixing device fixing the power conductor in the lower guide device and switchable between a fixed state, in which a movement of the power conductor relative to the lower guide device in a second direction as another horizontal axis direction orthogonal to the first direction is not possible, and a non-fixed state in which such relative movement is possible. The wire electric discharge machining apparatus includes: a pressing device, movable relative to the lower guide device and pressing the power conductor in the non-fixed state to move in the second direction; and a movement device, moving the pressing device relative to the lower guide device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirotoshi INOUE
  • Patent number: 11678689
    Abstract: A peeling method includes a first decompression step, a pressure-heating step, and a second decompression step. In the first decompression step, an object with a skin to be peeled is placed in a pressure chamber being sealed, and an inside of the pressure chamber is decompressed to a predetermined first negative pressure state. In the pressure-heating step, the inside of the pressure chamber is pressure-heated to a predetermined pressure-heating state after the first decompression step. In the second decompression step, the inside of the pressure chamber is decompressed to a predetermined second negative pressure state after the pressure-heating step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Maya Ueno, Yasuhisa Ogata, Akinori Noguchi
  • Patent number: 11660693
    Abstract: An electric discharge machine 1 incudes: a machining tank 11; a dirty fluid tank 13; a circulation pump 21; a filter unit 3 including a filter element 31 and a filter case 33; a fixing mechanism 5 fixing the filter unit; a clean fluid tank 15; and a fluid feeding pump 23. The fixing mechanism includes: a bracket 51 fixed in a predetermined position; a rotating member 53 rotatably connected to the bracket; a lever 6 having: a link 61 of which one end is connected to the rotating member, a nut 63 arranged on the other end of the link, and a rod 65 screwed with the nut; a locked member 55 fixed to the bracket and engaged with the rod; and a pressing member 7 of which one end is connected to the rotating member 53 and the other end presses the filter case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Hosaka
  • Publication number: 20230135308
    Abstract: An upper guide assembly includes an upper wire guide, an upper power feed contact, and a power feed contact movement device, and a lower guide assembly includes a lower power feed contact. The upper power feed contact and the lower power feed contact are configured to contact the wire electrode to supply power by moving in a horizontal direction from initial positions not contacting the wire electrode. The power feed contact movement device is configured to move the upper power feed contact in the horizontal direction from the initial position by a predetermined offset amount. The offset amount is set based on a machining condition including at least one of a condition of the wire electrode, a condition of a workpiece, and a surface roughness required for a cut surface of the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Manabu TSUKUDA
  • Publication number: 20230132245
    Abstract: A method for preparing an additive manufacturing program includes a loading step, a dividing step, an overhang calculating step, a subdividing step, a maintaining step, and an outputting step. In the loading step, a three-dimensional model is loaded. In the dividing step, the three-dimensional model is divided into divided layers. In the overhang calculating step, an overhang angle or overhang length of the divided layer is calculated. In the subdividing step, at least a part of the divided layer including an overhang portion is subdivided into two or more in a lamination direction. In the maintaining step, neither subdivision of the divided layer nor addition of a support structure supporting the divided layer is performed. The subdividing step and the maintaining step are selectively performed based on the overhang angle or overhang length. In the outputting step, an additive manufacturing program defining a command pertaining to additive manufacturing is output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuyuki MIYASHITA