Method for the additive manufacture of metallic components
The invention relates to a method for the additive manufacture of three-dimensional metallic components ( 12 ), said components ( 12 ) being built layer-by-layer or section-by-section under vacuum conditions by fusing a metallic material with the component ( 12 ) at a machining point by means of a radiation source with a high energy density. In order to keep the energy applied to the machining point by the radiation itself relatively low, the metallic material is supplied in the form of a wire ( 28 ) which is preheated under vacuum conditions before reaching the machining point.
1. A method for additive manufacture of a three-dimensional metallic component, the method comprising:
preheating a wire comprising metallic material under vacuum conditions by at least one of (1) direct electric preheating by means of resistance heating and (2 inductive preheating;
delivering the preheated wire to a processing location;
fusing the metallic material at the processing location under vacuum conditions by means of a radiation source with high energy density, said radiation source comprised of a laser beam; and
continuously repeating the delivering and fusing steps while maintaining the wire in a preheated state, thereby building up said component in layers or sections.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wire is directly electrically preheated by means of resistance heating.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a current for heating the wire is conducted via the wire and via a workpiece upon which said layers or sections are built.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the wire is heated using direct current, wherein a negative polarity is applied to the wire and a positive polarity is applied to the workpiece.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wire is inductively preheated.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fusing step is performed within a vacuum chamber, and wherein the wire is supplied through a vacuum leadthrough into the vacuum chamber.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the wire is supplied preheated into the vacuum chamber.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fusing step is performed within a vacuum chamber, and wherein the laser beam is introduced through a window into the vacuum chamber.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the window is purged with a gas.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising moving a workpiece upon which said layers or sections are built relative to the processing location, which is thereby configured so as to be stationary.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the wire is heated to a solidus temperature of the metallic material.