HK1018235B - Moldless molding method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dieless forming method and apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mold-less molding method for producing a molded article having a three-dimensional structure from a fluidized molding material without using any mold.

Background

In general, in order to produce a molded article having a three-dimensional structure from a fluid molding material, a fluid molding method has been realized which comprises adding a fluid molding material into a physical mold for physically molding an article, and then solidifying the fluid molding material in the mold into a desired shape. However, the design and manufacture of physical molds as used in conventional molding processes requires a lot of time and entails great expense. Physical molds are only suitable for the production of large numbers of shaped articles. Therefore, attempts have been made to produce a molded article having a three-dimensional structure from a fluid molding material without using any mold.

As an example of producing a molded article without using a mold, there is conventionally known a mold-less molding method using flame spraying in a color drawing process. The conventional mold-less forming method includes providing a controller for controlling a flame spray gun to spray a fluid (molten) molding material to divided portions in which a desired product model to be formed is cut according to prescribed material feeding data, and sequentially spraying the molding material to each of the cut portions to obtain a desired product.

However, the conventional die-less molding method as described above is limited to extremely thin cutting of an imaginary product model and precise control of the injection angle, the injection amount and the injection time of the injection gun for injecting the molding material. As a result, the accuracy of the molded article is unsatisfactory. Furthermore, the conventional mold-less molding method has a disadvantage in that it takes a considerable time to complete the molding of the article because the fluid molding material is accumulated little by little (in a very small amount).

Another shaping method using a light beam is disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. SHO 56-144478 (a). This prior art light forming method uses a table vertically movable within an ultraviolet curable resin, and a laser beam, and curing of the ultraviolet curable resin in a flat cut form is performed by irradiation of the laser beam. Subsequently, a split layer of a molded article of a flat-cut cured resin was obtained.

The above conventional photo-forming method has not been widely used because the raw materials are limited to only the ultraviolet curing resin and the photosensitive resin. Further, since the molded article split layer is constituted by a sliced layer directly formed by a laser beam, the cured surface of the molded article cannot be formed smoothly with precision.

The present invention is intended to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional die-less molding apparatus, and has as its object to provide a die-less molding method which includes a simple process of laying and engraving molding materials and can produce a highly precise molded product in a short time, and a die-less molding apparatus which can be suitably used for carrying out the die-less molding method. Description of the invention

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a mold-less molding method comprising adding a fluidized molding material to form a dough of the molding material having the shape of the entire article to be molded and a shape similar to the outer shape of the article, solidifying the molding material, and then engraving the solidified molding material into the desired article (first embodiment).

According to this method, the desired article can be obtained by removing unnecessary portions of a mass of the cured molding material (the volume of which is substantially equal to the outer shape of the article) by cutting. As the molding material, synthetic resin which is easily fluidized, a plasticized material such as rubber, a low-fusible metal material such as solder, a ceramic material, or the like can be used.

A second embodiment of the present invention provides a mold-less molding method comprising feeding and solidifying a mass of fluidized molding material, the mass having a shape including a part of a shape of an article to be molded and an outline similar to the part of the shape of the article, then engraving the mass of solidified molding material placed on a table to prepare an intermediate product, laying and solidifying the fluidized molding material on the intermediate product to form a mass of molding material having a volume substantially equal to the outline of the article so as to cover the part of the article to be molded and the outline similar to the part of the article, engraving the solidified molding material laid on the intermediate product, and repeating this process one or more times.

According to the method of the second embodiment, a desired product can be obtained by forming an intermediate product from the mass of the solidified molding material, the volume of which is substantially equal to the outer shape of the product, and cutting off an unnecessary portion of the mass of the solidified molding material laid on the intermediate product. The fluidized molding material is repeatedly laid on the intermediate product and finally engraved into the desired product. As the molding material, synthetic resin which is easily fluidized, a plasticized material such as rubber, a low-fusible metal material such as solder, a ceramic material, or the like can be used.

A process of integrating the intermediate product and the molding material laid thereon may be added to the process of curing the molding material (third embodiment). According to this third embodiment, the molding material, which is subsequently integrated with the intermediate product after curing, is engraved into the desired product. As the molding material, synthetic resin which is easily fluidized, a plasticized material such as rubber, a low-fusible metal material such as solder, a ceramic material, or the like can be used. The ceramic material may be formed by pressing so as to be well integrated with the intermediate product by calcination.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention provides a moldless forming method comprising supplying a molding material in the form of a rod or a disk to a table, the shape of the material including the shape of the entire article to be formed, melting or plasticizing the molding material to a mass similar to the shape of the article, and then engraving the molding material to form the desired product.

In this embodiment, a rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding material can be fed onto a table or plasticized into a mass similar to the outer shape of the article to be molded by using a usual feeding mechanism and method. Even a metal material that is not easily fluidized by using a simple apparatus can be used as the molding material. Of course, synthetic resin, plasticized material such as rubber or the like may be used as the molding material. In this embodiment, elongated molding materials in the form of strips or ribbons can be used in addition to the rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding materials. The shape of the disk-shaped molding material is not limited to a flat disk. That is, the molding material may be formed into a flat sheet, such as a thin film, a separator irrespective of its thickness. In this fourth embodiment, the melting of the molding material serves to interconnect the molecules of the metal molding material. The plasticization of the molding material in this embodiment includes plasticization of materials that have been plasticized, such as synthetic resin and rubber, and may be accomplished by welding or ultrasonic oscillation.

The method of laying the molding material onto the intermediate product can be applied to the fourth embodiment (fifth embodiment). Thus, the intermediate product is repeatedly covered and engraved with the molten or plasticized rod-shaped or disc-shaped molding material, followed by production of the desired article.

In addition, in order to achieve the above object according to the present invention, the present invention further provides a mold-less molding apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving a solidified molding material into a molded article, and a feeding device for feeding a fluidized molding material to a material receiving position determined on a table of the numerically controlled machine tool or laying the fluidized molding material on an intermediate product placed on the table (sixth embodiment). Thus, the inventive moldless forming apparatus can be constructed by attaching the feeding device to a cnc machining tool. As the feeding apparatus, a plasticizing-type or fluidizing-type feeding mechanism that easily fluidizes the molding material may be used.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention provides a moldless molding apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving a cured molding material into a molded article; and a feeding device connected to a controller of the NC machine tool, the device feeding the fluidized molding material onto a table of the NC machine tool or laying the fluidized molding material onto an intermediate product placed on the table. Thus, the feeding apparatus of this embodiment is controllable by the controller of the cnc machining tool to operate with the integrally connected cnc machining tool. By carrying out a further feeding and numerically controlled processing, the shaped material is repeatedly laid on the intermediate product and engraved, and the desired shaped article is subsequently formed.

An eighth embodiment of the present invention provides a moldless molding apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving a cured molding material into a molded article; and a feeding device configured to the processing system for selectively operating components within the cnc processing tool to feed the fluidized forming material to the workstation of the cnc processing tool or to lay up the fluidized forming material onto an intermediate product placed on the workstation. The feeding device is numerically controlled through the machining system by using an integrally incorporated numerically controlled machining tool. By carrying out a further feeding and numerically controlled processing, the shaped material is repeatedly laid on the intermediate product and engraved, and the desired shaped article is subsequently formed.

A ninth embodiment of the present invention provides a mold-less molding apparatus comprising a numerical control machine tool to engrave a cured molding material into a molded article, and a feeding device attached to a robot arm not controlled by the numerical control machine tool to feed a fluidized molding material onto a table of the numerical control machine tool or to lay the fluidized molding material on an intermediate product placed on the table. The feeding device is independent of the nc machining tool and is thus not controlled by the nc machining tool, so as to repeatedly engrave the molding material laid on the intermediate product and subsequently form the desired molded article.

A tenth embodiment of the present invention provides a dieless molding apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving a cured molding material into a molded article; and a feeding device for feeding the fluidized molding material to a material receiving position defined on the cnc machining tool or for laying the fluidized molding material onto an intermediate product placed on the work bench; and a material integration mechanism connected to the cnc machine tool controller to integrate the intermediate product with the molding material laid on the intermediate product when the molding material is added to the intermediate product under the control of the cnc machine tool controller. Thus, the feeding device and the material integration mechanism are controlled by the controller of the numerical control machining tool, so that the feeding device, the material integration mechanism and the numerical control machining tool are mutually operated in a combined manner. When the molding material is applied to the intermediate product, it is integrated with the intermediate product and then engraved by a repeated numerical control process to form the desired product.

An eleventh embodiment of the present invention provides a mold-less molding apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving a solidified molding material into a molded article, and a feeding device for feeding a rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding material to a material receiving position defined on a table of the numerically controlled machine tool or for laying a fluidized molding material on an intermediate product placed on the table, and a material-integrating mechanism connected to a controller of the numerically controlled machine tool for integrating the intermediate product and the rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding material melted or plasticized to form them into a mass similar to the outer shape of the article. The feeding device and the material integration mechanism for feeding the rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding material are controlled by a controller of the cnc machining tool, so that the feeding device, the material integration mechanism and the cnc machining tool operate in conjunction with each other. When the modeling material is added to the intermediate product, it is integrated with the intermediate product and then sculpted by a repeated numerical control process to form the desired article.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the initial state of operations (processes) and apparatuses in the mold-less forming method according to the first to third embodiments and the sixth to eighth embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the initial state of operations (processes) and apparatuses in the die-less molding method according to the fourth and fifth embodiments and the ninth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an operation (process) subsequent to the process of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a moldless forming apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a moldless forming apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing a main part of fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the device of fig. 11.

Best mode for carrying out the invention

Hereinafter, a mold-less forming method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the moldless forming apparatuses of the sixth, seventh, and tenth embodiments are explained.

Each of these embodiments comprises a current NC (numerical control) machine tool 1, a feeding device 2, and a material integration mechanism 3 in use. The moldless forming apparatus is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

The numerical control machining tool 1 includes a table 11 on which a molding material P to be machined is placed, a table driving unit 12 for moving the table 11, a tool unit 13 having an engraving tool or the like for engraving the molding material P, a tool unit driving unit (not shown) for moving the tool unit 13, and a controller 14 electrically connected to the table driving unit 12, the tool unit 13, and the tool unit driving unit so that these units are subjected to numerical control.

The charging apparatus 2 includes a body 21 for fluidizing the molding material P, and a nozzle 22 installed at an end of the body 21 to discharge the fluidized molding material P therefrom. The main body 21 has a function of plasticizing, shearing, or fluidizing the molding material P according to the characteristics of the molding material (synthetic resin, rubber, metallic material, ceramic material, etc.). The nozzle 22 has a function of extruding or forcibly discharging the fluidized molding material P according to the properties of the molding material and the fluidized state. As an example of the charging mechanism, a micro charging mechanism disclosed in Japanese patent application HEI 7-225587 (publication No. 08156070) filed in the name of the applicant of the present invention can be used.

The feeding mechanism 2 is fixed at a material receiving position determined by the numerical control machining tool 1 for receiving the molding material P, thereby feeding the molding material P onto the table 11 at the material receiving position. The feeding mechanism 2 is electrically connected to a controller 14 of the numerically controlled machine tool 1 so that the mechanism is numerically controlled to control the feeding time of the molding material P and the amount of the molding material to be fed.

The material integration mechanism 3 is disposed next to the nozzle 22 of the charging mechanism 2 and moves with the position of the molding material applied to the work table. The material integration mechanism 3 is electrically connected to a controller 14 of the numerical control machining tool 1 so that the mechanism is subjected to numerical control to control the charging time of the molding material P and the amount of the molding material applied to the table. As the material integration mechanism 3, for example, an ultrasonic welding mechanism 30 can be used. The ultrasonic welding means 30 has a vertically arranged branch 31 below the nozzle 22 so as to be disposed between the intermediate product and the molding material laid on the intermediate product.

On the basis of the operations and processes of the above-described moldless forming apparatuses of the sixth, seventh and tenth embodiments, the moldless forming apparatuses of the first to third embodiments will be explained below.

Before using the moldless forming apparatus of these embodiments, information data on the structure and processing conditions of the article D to be formed is first input to the controller 14 of the numerically controlled machine tool 1.

Then, the table 11 is moved to the material receiving position a to receive the molding material P by operating the table driving unit 12 of the numerical control machining tool 1.

At the material receiving position a, the fluidized molding material P is discharged from the nozzle 22 of the charging device 2 in a belt-like form and arranged like a solenoid on the table 11 as shown in fig. 1. The dough of the molding material P on the table has a shape including the entire article to be molded and a shape similar to the outer shape of the article. If an intermediate product Da having a cylindrical shape is required, a band-shaped molding material is spirally placed on a table to form a cylindrical dough of the molding material. The fluidized molding material P can be discharged from the nozzle 22 of the charging device 2 onto the table 11 at a moderate charging rate and at a predetermined temperature depending on, for example, the viscosity of the molding material P.

Next, the table 11 is moved to the working position B where the molding material P on the table is engraved.

When the table 11 is moved from the material receiving position a toward the working position B, the fluidized molding material is solidified on the table 11. In the case of using, for example, a tape-shaped ABS resin as the molding material P, the molding material will be cured after about 5 seconds at normal temperature.

As shown in fig. 2, the molding material P solidified on the work table is processed by a grinding tool 15 attached to the tool unit 13, which moves around the molding material P, which has been formed into a dough by a driving device (not shown) of the tool unit 13. In this process, in order to reduce the volume of the molding material, the solidified bulk molding material P is engraved into an intermediate product Da (cylindrical shape). This engraving process is numerically controlled very precisely by the controller 14 and is completed in a short time.

Next, the table 11 is returned to the material receiving position a by operating the table driving unit 12.

At the material receiving position a where the table 11 is returned, the fluidized molding material P is further fed from the nozzle 22 of the feeding apparatus 2 to the intermediate product Da, which has been formed into a dough from the molding material P, and thus the molding material is laid on the intermediate product, as shown in fig. 3. The bulk molding material P is volumetrically sufficient to encapsulate the intermediate product Db, which forms a part of the final product D to be molded, and has a profile similar to the profile of the intermediate product Db.

At the material receiving position a, the laid layers of the intermediate product Da and the molding material P newly added thereto are integrated by generating an ultrasonic welding effect using the ultrasonic welding mechanism 30. The ultrasonic welding by the ultrasonic welding mechanism 30 is performed while the table 11 is moved relative to the ultrasonic welding mechanism 30. The ultrasonic welding is performed between the intermediate product Da and the molding material P during the curing of the molding material P laid on the intermediate product. Of course, the layup of the intermediate product Da and the molding material P may be integrated before the molding material is cured.

Next, the table 11 is moved to the working position B again by operating the table driving unit 12 to engrave the molding material P therein.

When the table 11 moves from the material receiving position a toward the working position B, the large pieces of the molding material P laid on the intermediate product Da are solidified.

In the working position B, as shown in fig. 4, the solidified bulk moulding material P is processed by a tool unit 13, which is moved around the moulding material P by means of a processing unit drive, not shown. This process may be performed by replacing the processing unit 13 with the tool 16. The engraving process for reducing the volume of the molding material is performed in the same manner as described above, followed by forming another intermediate product Db (cone shape). This engraving process is numerically controlled very precisely by the controller 14 and is completed in a short time.

The intermediate products Da and Db thus formed are integrated into a molded article D. The shaped article D is removed from the table 11 as a final article.

The above continuous process including the feeding, curing and engraving of the molding material P may be repeated three or more times.

Next, a mold-less forming apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described. Like parts of this embodiment are labeled with like reference numerals. To avoid redundancy, descriptions of these components are omitted below.

As shown in fig. 5 to 8, this embodiment is constructed by combining different feeding apparatuses 4 with the numerically controlled machine tool 1 and the material integration mechanism 3 seen in the above first to third embodiments and sixth to eighth embodiments.

The charging device 4 includes a mechanism 41 for continuously charging the rod-shaped or disk-shaped molding material F. When a tape is used to form the section material, a feed roller or the like may be used as the continuous feeding mechanism 41 as illustrated.

As the material integration mechanism 3, for example, a welding machine 32 may be used. The welding machine 32 has a nozzle 33 vertically disposed below the continuous feed mechanism 41 and positioned adjacent to the modeling material. As the welding machine 32, an electric welding machine, an argon arc welding machine, an oxygen arc welding machine, or the like may be used.

Next, on the basis of the above description of the processing and operation of the moldless forming device of the eleventh embodiment, the moldless forming devices of the fourteenth and fifteenth embodiments will be described.

As shown in fig. 5, at the material receiving position a, when the wire is fed from the continuous feeding mechanism 41 of the feeding apparatus 4, the wire is melted with the nozzle 33 of the welding apparatus 32 and is placed spirally onto the work table. Next, a large block of molding material is formed on the table 11. A plurality of not-shown welding devices such as the welding device 32 are preferably provided at the portion where the molding material is bent and wound. The bulk molding material F formed on the work table has a sufficient volume to enclose the intermediate product Da (which forms a part of the final product D to be molded) and is similar in shape to the outer shape of the intermediate product Da. In the case where the intermediate product Da is cylindrical, the molding material is formed into a cylindrical shape by controlling the relative movement of the table 11 and the nozzle 33.

Next, the table 11 is returned to the material receiving position a as shown in fig. 5 and 6.

At the material receiving position a where the table 11 returns, as shown in fig. 7, the wire is newly fed from the continuous feeding device 41 while being melted or fused by using the nozzle 33 of the welding device 32 to be laid on the molding material F of the intermediate product Da. The bulk molding material F is sufficient in volume to enclose the intermediate product Db (which forms part of the final article D to be molded) and is similar in shape to the outer shape of the intermediate product Da. As shown in fig. 8, the molding material is repeatedly engraved into a final molded article. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the final shaped article is formed in one process of feeding and engraving the shaped material.

In an eighth embodiment shown in fig. 9, the charging installation 5 is provided with a machining system 17 for selectively operating the machining units 13 of the numerically controlled machining tool 1. The feeding device 5 in this embodiment is directly controlled by the controller 14 of the cnc machining tool 1.

In this eighth embodiment, the machining unit 13 of the nc machining tool 1 and the charging device 5 are selectively switched to each other. According to this embodiment, the numerical control machine tool 1 and the charging apparatus 5 can be integrated closely.

A ninth embodiment shown in fig. 10 has a robotic arm 7 with a loading device 6 that is not controlled by the controller 14 of the cnc machining tool 1.

In this ninth embodiment, the cnc machining tool 1 and the feeding device 6 can be operated synchronously. That is, the molding material P may be fed from the feeding device 6 onto the intermediate product Da so as to interfere with the operation of the numerical control machine tool 1. According to this ninth embodiment, the numerically controlled machine tool 1 can be formed using an existing lathe, milling machine, drilling machine, or the like. There is no need to connect the controller 14 of the nc machining tool 1 to a controller (not shown) of the robot arm 7 because the nc machining tool 1 can be operated together with the robot arm 7 by using a sensor on the robot arm 7.

In the case of using a synthetic resin as the molding material P in the ninth embodiment, a strip-shaped or belt-shaped raw material P' may be wound around the material jig 61 and fluidized in the main body 62. With this mechanism, the material P can be accurately discharged from the main body 62 without being dispersed even when the charging device 6 is irregularly moved by the robot arm 7, so as to avoid the occurrence of leakage of the granular raw material P' from the charging device.

Although the product (shaped object) D finally formed by the above-described embodiment may be regarded as a finished article, it may be regarded as an intermediate product Da or Db to be further processed, or a sample product (shaped object) which is removed after forming a desired article.

The charging device 2 may further be provided with a drive unit for moving the charging device, which is electrically connected to the controller 14 of the numerically controlled machine tool 1, so that the movement of the charging device 2 is numerically controlled by the controller. According to this structure having a driving unit for moving the charging device, the charging device 2 or 4 is moved so as to be able to charge the molding material P at the working position B.

As another method, the feeding device 2 or 4 may be electrically connected to the controller 14 of the numerical control machine tool 1 so as to independently control the feeding of the molding material P. According to this structure for independently controlling the charging of the molding material, the control procedure can be simplified.

Also, the feeding device 2 and the assembly of processing units 13 may be arranged in a row in the feeding direction of the table 11, so that the production of the articles may be completed while advancing the table 11. The table 11, which moves in the direction of the components arranged in a row, may be a ring-shaped device or a complementary ring-shaped device, and may also be a rotary type.

Although the embodiment having the table 11 driven by the table driving unit 12 is described above, it should be understood that the displacement of the table is not limited thereto. It is of course possible to arrange the table 11 between the cnc machining tool 1 and the feeding device 2 or 4 or the material integration mechanism 3 such that the table can be moved or rotated vertically or horizontally with respect to the cnc machining tool or other components.

The embodiment using the ultrasonic welding mechanism 30 or the welding apparatus 32 as the material-integration mechanism 3 has been discussed above. However, in addition to these welding devices, a heating device such as a heater may be used to integrally mold the materials. Although the above-described embodiment has the ultrasonic welding machine 30 combined with the charging device 2 or the welding device 3 combined with the charging device 4, the combination may be changed.

As apparent from the above description, the mold-less molding method according to the present invention can form a molded article by removing an unnecessary portion from the charged molding material dough using a numerically controlled machine tool. Thus, the present invention produces a remarkable effect that a molded article with high accuracy can be produced in a short time. Further, according to the present invention, the molding material can be used most efficiently without waste and can be engraved quickly with high accuracy because the molding material is charged to form a shape similar to the outer shape of a desired product to be molded. In particular, according to the present invention, various molding materials can be used to produce not only a molded article or a sample product but also a stamper or a mold.

Further, the moldless forming apparatus according to the present invention can carry out the moldless forming method of the present invention without spoiling the excellent effects produced by the moldless forming method of the present invention. Since the inventive moldless forming apparatus can be constructed of existing numerically controlled machine tools, feeding equipment and/or material integration mechanisms as described above, the inventive apparatus can be simply manufactured at low cost.

Industrial application

The mold-less forming method and the mold-less forming apparatus according to the present invention make it possible to produce a formed article by removing an unnecessary portion from the charged mass of the forming material using a numerically controlled machine tool. Thus, a suitable molded article having a three-dimensional structure can be produced accurately in a short time without using a mold. The mold-less molding method of the present invention can use various molding materials to produce not only molded articles or sample products but also a stamper or a mold.

Claims (8)

1. A mold-less molding method comprising adding a fluidized molding material to form a dough of the molding material having the shape of the entire article to be molded and a shape similar to the shape of the article, solidifying the molding material, and then engraving the solidified molding material into a desired article.

2. A dieless forming process comprising introducing and solidifying a mass of fluidized forming material having a partial shape of an article to be formed and an outline similar to the partial shape of the article, then engraving the solidified mass of forming material on a table to produce an intermediate product, laying and solidifying the fluidized forming material on the intermediate product to form a mass of forming material having a volume which substantially forms the outer contour of the article, engraving the solidified forming material laid on the intermediate product, and repeating the process one or more times.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of integrating the intermediate product with the molding material applied thereto, and then engraving the cured molding material applied to the intermediate product, and repeating the process one or more times.

4. A dieless molding method comprising supplying a molding material in the form of a rod or a disk, the shape of which includes a part of the shape of an article to be molded, to a table, melting or plasticizing the molding material to form a mass similar to the shape of the article and integrating it, and then engraving the molding material to form a final article.

5. A dieless molding apparatus for carrying out the method of claims 1-4, the apparatus comprising a numerically controlled machine tool for engraving molding material into a molded article; and a feeding device for feeding the fluidized formed material to a material receiving position determined on a table of the numerically controlled machine tool or laying the fluidized formed material on an intermediate product placed on the table.

6. The moldless forming apparatus of claim 5, wherein said feeding device is connected to a controller of said cnc machining tool.

7. The moldless forming apparatus of claim 5, wherein said feeding device is attached to a robotic arm that is not controlled by a numerical control machining tool.

8. The moldless forming apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a material integration mechanism connected to the cnc machine controller for integrating the intermediate product with the forming material laid on the intermediate product when the forming material is applied to the intermediate product under the control of the cnc machine controller.