摘要：
A method for manufacturing a mold, comprising: producing, with a powder bed-based 3D additive layer manufacturing process, a plurality of subassemblies with an alloy that has a thermal expansion coefficient less than or equal to 2·10-6 K-1; heat treating each produced subassembly of the plurality of subassemblies; welding one or more edges of pairs of produced and heat-treated subassemblies together such that each subassembly is at least welded to another subassembly thereby forming the mold; and applying a Direct Energy Deposition process to the mold such that one or more layers of a metallic material of the process are applied to a first side of each welded subassembly of the mold, the second side being opposite the first side.
技术问题语段：
The technical problem addressed in this patent text is the long and expensive process of manufacturing molds in industries like aerospace, aeronautical, and nautical. The material used in the mold is expensive, and when multiple layers of material are used, the spring-back effect can occur, causing the final shape of the product or component to not be the desired shape. The current methods to overcome these issues are limited. The patent aims to provide molds and methods for manufacturing them that are faster, more flexible, cost-effective, and can be produced with dimensions greater than the production machine.
技术功效语段：
The patent describes a method for manufacturing a mold by producing subassemblies with a powder bed-based 3D additive layer manufacturing process and then welding them together to form the mold. The method allows for cost-effective manufacturing of the mold by using a flexible process that produces minimal waste. The subassemblies are heat treated to release residual tensions and the resulting mold has thermal stability. The mold is supported by one or more supporting members that maintain its shape or curvature. The method also allows for the position of the mold to be adjusted during the welding process. The resulting mold has the necessary hardness and resistance against wear and can be produced with a simple manufacturing process.
权利要求：
1. A method for manufacturing a mold (1), comprising: producing a plurality of subassemblies (2) with a powder bed-based 3D additive layer manufacturing process, and the additive layer manufacturing process forming the subassemblies (2) with an alloy having a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than or equal to 2·10-6 K-1; applying a heat treatment process to each produced subassembly of the plurality of subassemblies (2); welding one or more edges of pairs of produced and heat-treated subassemblies (2) together such that each subassembly (2) is at least welded to another subassembly (2) to form the mold; and applying a Direct Energy Deposition process to the mold (1) such that one or more layers of a metallic material are at least applied to a first side (11) of each welded subassembly (2) of the mold (1); and at least some of the subassemblies (2) forming the mold (1) comprise respective one or more supporting members (4) on a second side (12) of the respective subassembly (2), the second side (12) being opposite the first side (11).
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging a plurality of supports (8), each support (8) being adapted to cooperate with a supporting member (4) of the subassemblies (2) of the mold (1); and supporting the mold (1) on the plurality of arranged supports (8).
3. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising machining and/or finishing the mold (1) after application of the Direct Energy Deposition process.
4. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the additive layer manufacturing process is binder jetting.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of subassemblies (2) comprises N subassemblies (2), wherein N ≥ Vmold/Vmachine or N ≥ Smold/Smachine, where Vmold is a volume of the mold (1), Vmachine is a build area of a machine applying the binder jetting, Smold is a greatest surface of the mold (1) and Smachine is a greatest surface of the build area.
6. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the Direct Energy Deposition process is laser cladding.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the laser cladding deposits material at a rate between 1 kg/h and 20 kg/h, and each layer of material deposited has a thickness between 0,1 mm and 3,0 mm.
8. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alloy is an alloy selected from: UNS K93600, UNS K93601 and UNS K93603.
9. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein a thickness of each produced subassembly (2) is greater than or equal to 5,0 mm and less than or equal to 10,0 mm.
10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the respective one or more supporting members (4) of the at least some subassemblies (2) are produced together with the subassembly (2) in the step of producing the subassembly (2) with the powder bed-based 3D additive layer manufacturing process; or the method further comprises: producing each of the supporting members (4), and joining the respective one or more supporting members (4) of the at least some subassemblies (2) thereto.
11. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least two of the supporting members (4) of the mold (1) have different lengths.
12. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the welding comprises laser welding.
13. A mold (1) obtained by the method of any one of the preceding claims, the mold (1) comprising an alloy having a coefficient of thermal expansion that is less than or equal to 2·10-6 K-1.
14. The mold (1) of claim 13, or the method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein a greatest surface of the mold (1) is between 5,0 m2 and 50,0 m2, and/or a volume of the mold (1) is between 5,0 m3 and 100,0 m3.
15. The mold (1) of any one of claims 13-14, or the method of any one of claims 1-12 and 14, wherein the alloy comprises iron.