Apparatus for producing three-dimensional shaped product

An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shaped product, comprising:

• a shaping tank,
• an inclined, vertically movable table in the shaping tank which is inclined from a first end downwardly toward a second end, and the first raised end being provided close to an inner wall of the shaping tank,
• a base plate which supports a metallic or non-metallic powder material, the base plate firmly fixed to the table with a space extending in a vertical direction formed above the table and under the base plate such that the lower surface of the base plate is out of contact with the upper surface of the table, wherein the space is one of:
• filled with an insulating material, and
• not filled with an insulating material, and
• one of a heating device and a cooling device which loads the base plate that supports the powder, and
• a discharge opening for discharging powder which is not sintered, provided at a lower end of the inclined table for reusing discharged powder,
• wherein the following steps are sequentially repeated:
• spraying one of the metallic and non-metallic powder on a surface of the base plate, with the surface of the base plate having at least a material which can be adhered to the metallic or non-metallic powder upon solidification of the powder,
• subjecting an upper surface of the thus sprayed powder to planarization,
• irradiating one of electromagnetic waves and electron beams along a layer of the powder having a predetermined thickness to a region to be shaped which is located at an uppermost position, thereby forming a sintered layer, and
• cutting at least one of an end part and upper surface where sintering has been performed to effect molding.