Air knife assembly for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11400649-B2
Application number	US-201916684519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Sep 26, 2019
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an environmentally sealed first chamber, a second chamber separated from the first chamber by a first valve, a platform positionable in the first chamber, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material onto the platform in the first chamber, at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform in the first chamber, and an air knife assembly to direct a laminar flow of air across a layer of feed material on the platform in the first chamber. The air knife assembly includes an inlet module and an exhaust module that are movable through the first valve between the first chamber and the second chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
an environmentally sealed first chamber;
a second chamber separated from the first chamber by a first valve that is movable between a closed state in which the second chamber is sealed from the first chamber and an open state in which the first chamber is accessible from the second chamber;
a platform positionable in the first chamber;
a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material onto the platform in the first chamber;
at least one energy source to selectively fuse the feed material in a layer on the platform in the first chamber;
an air knife assembly to direct a laminar flow of air across the layer of the feed material on the platform in the first chamber, the air knife assembly including an inlet module and an exhaust module that are extendable and retractable through the first valve between the first chamber and the second chamber; and
a controller configured to cause the first valve to open, cause an actuator to extend the inlet module and exhaust module through the first valve from the second chamber to the first chamber, cause the actuator to retract the inlet module and exhaust module through the first valve from the first chamber to the second chamber, and cause the first valve to close.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the air knife assembly to direct the laminar flow of the air across the layer of the feed material on the platform in the first chamber while the energy source selectively fuses the feed material in the layer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the dispenser to deliver a subsequent layer of the feed material over the platform while the inlet module and the exhaust module are in the second chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air knife assembly includes a support for the inlet module and the exhaust module, and the support is extendible from and retractable into the second chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the support includes a retractable telescopic scissor assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third chamber separated from the first chamber by a second valve, and wherein the dispenser is extendable and retractable through the second valve between the third chamber and the first chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , comprising a controller configured to, while the first valve is closed, cause the second valve to open, cause a first actuator to extend the dispenser through the second valve from the third chamber to the first chamber, cause the dispenser to deliver the layer of the feed material over the platform, cause the first actuator to retract the dispenser through the second valve from the first chamber to the third chamber, and close the second valve.

8. An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
an environmentally sealed first chamber;
a third chamber separated from the first chamber by a second valve that is movable between a closed state in which the third chamber is sealed from the first chamber and an open state in which the first chamber is accessible from the third chamber;
a platform positionable in the first chamber;
a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material onto the platform in the first chamber, the dispenser is extendable and retractable through the second valve between the first chamber and the third chamber;
at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform in the first chamber;
an air knife assembly to direct a laminar flow of air across the layer of the feed material on the platform in the first chamber; and
a controller configured to cause the second valve to open, cause a first actuator to extend the dispenser through the second valve from the third chamber to the first chamber, cause the first actuator to retract the dispenser through the second valve from the first chamber to the third chamber, and cause the second valve to close.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the dispenser to deliver the layer of the feed material over the platform.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to cause the energy source to selectively fuse the layer of the feed material and cause the air knife assembly to direct the laminar flow of the air across the layer of the feed material while the dispenser is in the third chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the dispenser is extendable and retractable along a linear rail.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the retractable telescopic scissor assembly comprises a first pair of arms each having a first end rotatably coupled to a stationary portion of the additive manufacturing apparatus and a second pair of arms each having a second end rotatably coupled to the inlet module and exhaust module.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the retractable telescopic scissor assembly comprises a supply conduit that fluidically connects a gas inlet in the stationary portion to the inlet module and a return conduit that fluidically connects the exhaust module to a gas outlet in the stationary portion, each conduit extending continuously along arms of the retractable telescopic scissor assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a pump coupled to the first chamber to vacuum out the first chamber.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first valve is a slit valve.

16. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second valve is a slit valve.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Patel Dakshalkumar
• Chaturvedi Girish Kumar
• Upadhye Bahubali S
• Acharya Sumedh
• Chidambaram Mahendran
• Bagul Nilesh Chimanrao

Classifications

• B29C64/264

  Arrangements for irradiation · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B29C64/25 Primary

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title

• B29C64/236

  for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer · CPC title