Construction of a 3D printing device for producing components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11130290-B2
Application number	US-201816230465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 25, 2012
Publication date	Sep 28, 2021
Grant date	Sep 28, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for producing three-dimensional models, comprising a coater, which includes an ejection opening, at least one print head, which is mounted on a print axis, the ejection opening of the coater being disposed toward the top in the coating direction, and the print head being disposed counter to the coating direction with the opposite orientation on the printing axis behind the coater in the coating direction; the invention also relates to a method for producing three-dimensional models.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing three-dimensional models comprising steps of
depositing a layer of a particulate material on an inclined surface of a feedstock using a device including a coater and a print head,
wherein the coater deposits the particulate material only while moving in a coating direction up the inclined surface in advance of a print head;
wherein the coater and the print head are mounted on a print axis, the coater has an ejection opening disposed toward the top of the feedstock in the coating direction and the print head prints on the deposited particulate material while traveling down the inclined surface in advance of the coater;
wherein the feedstock includes a previously deposited layer of the particulate material.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method includes constructing a start feedstock including the particulate material and having the inclined surface using the device.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising a step of cleaning the coater with a coater cleaning unit.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising a step of filling the coater with a coater filling unit.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising a step of moving the feedstock with a conveyor belt.

6. The method of claim 4 , comprising a step of filling the coater filling unit with particulate material from a central particulate material supply unit.

7. The method of claim of claim 4 , comprising a step of cleaning the print head with a spitting station.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the coater cleaning unit and the coater filling unit are disposed toward a top in the coating direction.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the coater cleaning unit and the coater filling unit are disposed toward a top in the coating direction.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the spitting station is disposed toward a bottom in the coating direction, particularly preferably below the build space.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the spitting station is disposed toward a bottom in the printing direction.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method of includes a step of capping the print head in a capping station disposed toward the bottom.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes collecting excess of the particulate material using a conveyor line.

14. The method of 13 , wherein the excess particulate material is collected in a collecting hopper.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the collecting hopper is disposed at the front below the build space.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the print head is mounted on a print head positioning axis that travels on an inclined print axis; and the coater is mounted on a coater axis orthogonal to the inclined print axis, wherein the coater and the print head independently move up and down the inclined print axis.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the print head includes a single print head.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the print head has a width that is about the same as a width of the build surface.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the print head moves in a meandering path including traveling along the print head positioning axis.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method includes a step of depositing a start layer on a block or an inclined plate at a prescribed angle.

Assignees

• Voxeljet Ag

Inventors

• Ederer Ingo
• Hartmann Andreas Dominik
• Schmid Dominik

Classifications

• B22F12/55

  Two or more means for feeding material · CPC title

• B22F10/14

  by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder · CPC title

• B22F10/73

  of powder · CPC title

• B33Y40/00

  Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling · CPC title

• B29C64/165

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title