Gas inlet structure for a build material reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11787114-B2
Application number	US-201816632187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2018
Priority date	Jul 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

Examples of a gas inlet structure ( 1130 ) and a deformable structure ( 1120 ) to store build material ( 1126 ) are described. The gas inlet structure may be coupled to the deformable structure. The deformable structure may also have an outlet ( 1121 ) that is connectable to an element ( 1122 ) of an aspiration system of a three-dimensional printing system, to allow build material to be supplied from the deformable structure on application of a vacuum by the aspiration system. While the vacuum is applied to the outlet, a valve of the gas inlet structure may be selectively actuated to allow gas flow into the deformable structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of supplying a build material powder in a three-dimensional printing system, the method comprising alternately collapsing and expanding a bag of the powder while sucking the powder out of the bag, wherein the alternately collapsing and expanding the bag is accomplished by opening an inlet valve at predefined time intervals.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the bag has an inlet through which a gas is sucked into the bag when the inlet is open and an outlet through which the gas and the powder is sucked out of the bag;
collapsing the bag comprises sucking the gas and the powder out of the bag through the outlet with the inlet closed; and
expanding the bag comprises sucking the gas and the powder out of the bag through the outlet with the inlet open.

3. The method of claim 2 , comprising:
opening the inlet when a pressure in the bag is below a threshold; and
closing the inlet when the pressure in the bag is above the threshold.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising applying a vacuum to an outlet of the bag to extract powder from the bag, causing a pressure difference sufficient to open an inlet valve and allowing gas to flow into the bag.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises air.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Gasso Xavier
• Martinez Castellanos Carlos
• Ferrero Ivan

Classifications

• B65D83/771

  for dispensing fluent contents by means of a flexible bag or a deformable membrane or diaphragm · CPC title

• B29C64/255 Primary

  Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B22F12/80

  Plants, production lines or modules · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title