Mobile and secured additive manufacturing installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10773306-B2
Application number	US-201716066743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2017
Priority date	Oct 13, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A mobile additive manufacturing installation ( 10 ) comprises a main self-supporting frame, a main manufacturing housing ( 14 ) closed in leaktight fashion, at least one main additive manufacturing machine (M 1 ) installed in the main manufacturing housing, a main inerting device ( 26 ), a main circulation path ( 32 ) in the main manufacturing housing ( 14 ), a main airlock ( 34 ), and a main device ( 42 ) for treatment of the air circulating inside the main manufacturing housing ( 14 ). The main treatment device ( 42 ) makes it possible to supply the inside of the main manufacturing housing ( 14 ) with air withdrawn outside the installation, to withdraw the air present in the main manufacturing housing ( 14 ) and in the main airlock ( 34 ), and to manage the pressure of the air present in the main manufacturing housing ( 14 ) and in the main airlock ( 34 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile additive manufacturing installation comprising:
a main self-supporting frame which renders the installation transportable by road;
a main manufacturing housing supported by the main self-supporting frame and closed in a leaktight manner by panels fixed to the main self-supporting frame;
a main additive manufacturing machine installed inside the main manufacturing housing, the main additive manufacturing machine comprising a manufacturing chamber inside which is carried out an additive manufacturing process consisting of depositing additive manufacturing powder and fusing grains of the powder using a source of energy or of heat;
a main inerting device configured to supply the manufacturing chamber of the main additive manufacturing machine with an inert gas and to capture the inert gas contaminated by fumes resulting from the additive manufacturing process inside the manufacturing chamber;
a main circulation path provided in the main manufacturing housing along which an operator can circulate around the main additive manufacturing machine;
a main airlock for entry and exit of at least one operator, the main airlock being supported by the main self-supporting frame and closed in a leaktight manner by panels fixed to the main self-supporting frame, with an internal door between the main airlock and the main manufacturing housing and an external door between the main airlock and outside of the installation; and
a main treatment device configured to treat the air circulating inside the main manufacturing housing,
wherein the main treatment device is configured to supply the inside of the main manufacturing housing with air withdrawn outside the installation, to withdraw air present in the main manufacturing housing and in the main airlock, and to manage the pressure of air present in the main manufacturing housing and in the main airlock.

2. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein there is more than one manufacturing chamber inside the main additive manufacturing machine.

3. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the main treatment device is configured to monitor a rate of oxygen content in air present inside the main manufacturing housing.

4. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the main treatment device is configured to cool a temperature of air present in the main manufacturing housing and in the main airlock.

5. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the main treatment device is configured to regulate a degree of humidity of air present in the main manufacturing housing and in the main airlock.

6. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the main airlock comprises two rooms in communication with each other, the two rooms being an exterior room, which is in communication with outside of the installation via the external door, and an interior room, which is in communication with the main housing via the internal door, and the interior room communicating with the exterior room via an intermediate door.

7. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 6 , wherein the main treatment device is configured to provide for recycling of air in the two rooms of the main airlock and to regulate temperature and degree of humidity therein.

8. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 further comprising:
a decanting device comprising a decanting housing closed in a leaktight manner;
at least one window through which an operator can see inside the decanting housing; and
glove ports through which an operator can handle powder pots inside the closed decanting housing.

9. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 further comprising:
a sieving device configured to transfer additive manufacturing powder from a first container to another container while carrying out sieving of the additive manufacturing powder, the sieving device being arranged inside a sieving device housing closed in a leaktight manner and located inside the main manufacturing housing.

10. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the main treatment device comprises means for saturating air present in the main housing with an inert gas.

11. The mobile additive manufacturing installation according to claim 1 further comprising:
a spraying device configured to spray, into the main manufacturing housing, a fire-inhibiting powder which makes it possible to inhibit a fire from starting.

Assignees

• Addup

Inventors

• Nicaise Jean-Pierre

Classifications

• B22F12/82

  Combination of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices · CPC title

• B22F12/38 Primary

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title

• B22F10/77

  of gas · CPC title

• B22F10/322

  of the gas flow, e.g. rate or direction · CPC title

• B22F12/88

  Handling of additively manufactured products, e.g. by robots · CPC title