Selective powder dosing for an additively manufacturing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414148-B2
Application number	US-201615353032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2016
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system can include a powder dispenser; a gate adjacent to the powder dispenser; a recoater blade system; and a control operable to move the gate with respect to the powder dispenser to selectively dispense powder from the powder dispenser.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing system comprising:
a powder dispenser;
a gate adjacent to the powder dispenser; and
a control operable to move the gate with respect to the powder dispenser to selectively dispense powder from the powder dispenser through the gate, wherein the control is operable to adjust a position of the gate to selectively dispense one of a multiple of powders from the powder dispenser with respect to a movement direction of a recoater blade, wherein the gate includes a multiple of different aperture shapes.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control is operable to adjust a position of the gate to selectively dispense powder from the powder dispenser with respect to the movement direction of a recoater blade.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gate slides with respect to the powder dispenser.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gate rotates with respect to the powder dispenser.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 , wherein the gate rotates around the powder dispenser as a continuous loop.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gate includes a multiple of identical apertures that form a pattern.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gate includes a multiple of different patterns.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control is operable to adjust a position of the gate perpendicular to a movement direction of a recoater blade.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control is operable to adjust a position of the gate to select one of a multiple of apertures.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the control is operable to adjust a position of the gate from a first position at a first time to a second position at a second time then to a third position at a third time relative to the direction of movement of a recoater blade.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• O'Neill Christopher F
• Boyer Jesse R
• Pizzola Anthony

Classifications

• B22F10/37

  of powder bed aspects, e.g. density · CPC title

• B22F12/57

  Metering means · CPC title

• B22F12/67

  Blades · CPC title

• B22F12/52

  Hoppers · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title