Extraction during additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084209-B2
Application number	US-202016866003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2020
Priority date	Nov 6, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

This disclosure provides collector elements for gas circuits of additive manufacturing systems for making 3D components from a powder. The collector elements include an intake duct portion having a strip-shaped inflow duct with an intake opening and a main body portion that includes a cylindrical cavity extending along the intake duct portion, the cavity being fluidly connected to the inflow duct with a step in the rounded wall that causes an increase in diameter from a first diameter of the cavity to a second, larger diameter. The collector element also includes a first gas discharging portion with a tube portion and a diameter adjusting portion that fluidly connects a first end of the cavity to the inner volume of the tube portion via a duct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A collector element of a gas circuit of a manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional components from a powder, comprising:
an intake duct portion with a strip-shaped inflow duct having an intake opening, wherein the intake opening extends along a longitudinal axis;
a main body portion with a cylindrical cavity with a rounded wall, wherein the cavity extends along the intake duct portion, wherein the cavity is fluidly connected to the inflow duct in a manner that there is a step in the rounded wall that causes an increase in diameter from a first diameter of the cavity to a second diameter, which is larger than the first diameter; and
a first gas discharging portion with a diameter adjusting portion and a tube portion, wherein the diameter adjusting portion fluidly connects a first end of the cylindrical cavity in the direction of the longitudinal axis with an inner volume of the tube portion via a duct,
whereby in a transition region between the cylindrical cavity and the duct in the region of the increase in diameter on the side of the first diameter, an inner wall surface of the main body portion transitions into an inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion, and
in the region of the increase in diameter on the side of the second diameter, the inner wall surface of the main body portion transitions into the inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion via an intermediate face.

2. The collector element of claim 1 ,
(i) wherein the diameter adjusting portion fluidly connects the first end of the cylindrical cavity in the direction of the longitudinal axis with the inner volume of the tube portion via a continuously tapering duct, in the direction of the tube portion, or
(ii) wherein the diameter adjusting portion is formed as a substantially step-free fluid connection, or
(iii) wherein in the region of the increase in diameter on the side of the first diameter, the inner wall surface of the main body portion transitions substantially step-free into an inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion, or
(iv) any two or more of (i), (ii), or (iii).

3. The collector element of claim 2 , wherein, the continuously tapering duct tapers conically or approximately conically.

4. The collector element of claim 1 ,
wherein the intermediate face is a stepped surface joint from the inner wall surface of the main body portion into the inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion, and wherein the surface joint is stepped, perpendicular, or at an angle, and wherein the surface joint is curved or straight, and
(i) wherein a transition region between the intermediate face and the inner wall surface of the main body portion is formed without edges or with a rounded edge; or
(ii) wherein a transition region between the intermediate face and the inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion is formed without edges or with a rounded edge; or
(iii) both (i) and (ii).

5. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein the inner wall surface of the main body portion directly transitions into an inner wall surface of the diameter adjusting portion.

6. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein the intake duct portion includes a top plate and a bottom plate between which the inflow duct is formed in a plate-shaped shape, and the intake opening on one side of the inflow duct is formed as a linear strip-shaped opening.

7. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein in the region of the increase in diameter on the side of the second diameter, a step side surface extends in a radial direction starting from the increase in diameter first over the difference between the second diameter and the first diameter, which, in a radial direction, becomes narrower with increasing distance from the increase in diameter, and wherein an edge of the transition of the step side surface into the diameter adjusting portion is rounded.

8. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate face is configured to guide gas entering the cavity along the intermediate face to form a vortex flow.

9. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate face and the step side surface are configured to guide gas entering the cavity along the intermediate face to form a vortex flow.

10. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein the intake duct portion extends on the side of the increase in diameter with a curvature transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the curvature causes an inflow of extracted gas tangentially to the inner wall of the main body portion in the region of the increase in diameter on the side of the second diameter, so that extracted gas is guided with a swirl about the longitudinal axis through the cavity and the duct into the tube portion.

11. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein an input diameter of the duct on the side of the main body portion on both sides of the diameter increase corresponds to the first diameter.

12. The collector element of claim 1 , wherein an exit diameter of the duct on the side of the tube portion corresponds to the diameter of the inner volume of the tube portion.

13. The collector element of claim 1 , further comprising a second gas discharging portion having a second diameter adjusting portion and a second tube portion that are the same size and shape as the corresponding diameter adjusting portion and tube portion in the first gas discharging portion.

14. The collector element of claim 13 , wherein the tube portion of the first gas discharging portion and second tube portion of the second gas discharging portion are combined in a collecting tube in the region of the main body portion.

15. A manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional component from a powder, comprising:
a manufacturing chamber providing a work surface, wherein the manufacturing chamber includes a building platform region and a powder reservoir region;
a pushing device for transferring the powder from the powder reservoir region to the building platform region; and
a gas circulation system for providing a surface flow flowing over the work surface, wherein the gas circulation system comprises a collector element of claim 1 ,
wherein the collector element is connected to a pump, and
wherein the collector element is arranged on the work surface or is fluid-connected to the manufacturing chamber via an intermediate element in such a manner that the suction opening of
(i) the collector element at a border of the building platform region, or
(ii) the powder reservoir region, or
(iii) both (i) and (ii),

extracts gas out of the manufacturing chamber.

16. The manufacturing device of claim 15 , further comprising:
a protective glass through which radiation from a radiation source is irradiated to generate a beam for irradiating the powder in the building platform region for layer-by-layer manufacture of the component, wherein a further collector element is arranged in the manufacturing chamber in such a manner that the intake opening of the collector element is positioned at a border of the protective glass for extracting gas from the region of the protective glass or is fluidly connected via an intermediate element for extracting gas out of the region of the protective glass.

Assignees

• Trumpf Laser & Systemtechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Zaiss Joerg

Classifications

• B04C1/00 Primary

  Apparatus in which the main direction of flow follows a flat spiral {; so-called flat cyclones or vortex chambers} · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B22F12/41

  characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam · CPC title

• B22F12/38

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title