3D printer fresh and recycled powder supply management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440260-B2
Application number	US-201616098098-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 19, 2016
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein relate to 3D printer fresh and recycled powder supply management. In one implementation, a processor estimates fresh and recycled powder use and recycled powder creation by a 3D printer based on a set of print jobs. The processor may coordinate fresh and recycled powder resources based on the powder estimate and stored information about powder resources.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computing system, comprising:
a storage to store information about powder resources including: a primary supply fresh powder amount, a primary supply recycled powder amount, a secondary fresh powder supply amount, and a secondary recycled powder supply amount;
a 3D printer; and
a processor to:
estimate fresh and recycled powder use and recycled powder creation by the 3D printer for an incoming set of print jobs based on a set of past print jobs; and
manage fresh and recycled powder resources between a primary and secondary powder supply based on the powder estimate and the stored information about powder resources;

wherein the processor is further programmed to update an order of the set of print jobs to alter an amount of powder to be retrieved from the secondary powder supply.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , further comprising a second 3D printer and wherein the processor is further to manage fresh and recycled powder from the secondary powder supply between the 3D printer and the second 3D printer.

3. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein managing fresh powder resources comprises:
determining, based on the stored information, if the estimated amount of fresh powder is available in the primary fresh powder supply; and
if not available, determining at least one of: an amount of fresh powder supply to retrieve and a secondary fresh powder supply source to meet the estimated amount of fresh powder.

4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further to update the stored powder resource information to reduce the fresh powder supply amount and recycled powder supply amount based on use and to increase the recycled powder supply amount based on recycled powder creation from fresh powder use.

5. The computing system of claim 1 , further comprising updating a ratio of fresh to recycled powder of a print job in the set of print jobs based on the estimate.

6. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein estimating at least one of the fresh and recycled powder use and recycled powder creation is based on a simulation using data from past print jobs.

7. A method, comprising:
determining, by a processor, an amount of fresh powder and recycled powder to be used for a 3D print job;
estimating fresh powder and recycled powder use and recycled powder creation a 3D printer available for an incoming set of print jobs based on past print jobs;
managing fresh and recycled powder resources between a primary and secondary powder supply based on the estimate of powder use and stored information related to the powder resources; and
updating an order of the set of print jobs to alter an amount of powder to be retrieved from the secondary powder supply.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining an amount of available recycled powder remaining after a print job scheduled prior to the 3D print job.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining an amount of at least one of recycled and fresh powder to move to a 3D printer from a secondary powder source based on the estimate compared to the determined amount.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the amount of fresh powder and recycled powder to be used for the 3D print job is determined based on previous print jobs and associated amounts of powder use.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising rescheduling at least one of the print job and a print job scheduled prior to the print job to change the amount of at least one of fresh and recycled powder available at the time of executing the rescheduled print job.

12. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor to:
estimate fresh and recycled powder use and recycled powder creation by the 3D printer for an incoming set of print jobs based on a set of past print jobs;
manage fresh and recycled powder resources between a primary and secondary powder supply based on the powder estimate and the stored information about powder resources; and
update an order of the set of print jobs to alter an amount of powder to be retrieved from the secondary powder supply.

13. The machine-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12 , further comprising instructions to determine an amount of powder to transfer from a secondary to a primary source based on the estimate.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Kothari Sunil
• Schalk Wesley R
• Zeng Jun
• Oblea Francisco
• Dispoto Gary

Classifications

• B22F12/55

  Two or more means for feeding material · CPC title

• B22F10/85

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B22F10/73

  of powder · CPC title

• B22F10/28

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

• B33Y40/00

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