Apparatuses for continuously refreshing a recoater blade for additive manufacturing including a blade feed unit and arm portion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11801633-B2
Application number	US-202117498205-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2021
Priority date	Jan 13, 2017
Publication date	Oct 31, 2023
Grant date	Oct 31, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to additive manufacturing systems and methods involving a mechanism for feeding in a desired amount of fresh recoater blade. This can be accomplished by, for example, spooling the fresh blade material from a spool. This helps prevent work stoppage when a portion of a recoater blade becomes damaged. As such, the present disclosure also relates to a system and method for detecting whether a recoater blade is damaged, and if there is damage, then causing a fresh blade portion to be fed in.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a powder bed area around a build plate;
an energy directing device;
a recoater arm comprising an arm portion and a blade portion, wherein the blade portion is below the arm portion and protrudes from the arm portion;
a powder dispensing unit; and
a blade feed unit comprising blade material, wherein the blade feed unit is a payout spool.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blade portion is made of material suitable for making a part via direct laser metal melt additive manufacturing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the blade feed unit comprises fresh blade material.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a blade receiving unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the blade receiving unit is a takeup spool.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the blade receiving unit is a receptacle.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a system capable of detecting whether the blade portion is damaged.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the system comprises a camera and a computer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the powder dispensing unit is a hopper.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a powder bed area around a build plate;
an energy directing device;
a recoater arm comprising an arm portion and a continuous feed recoater blade having a blade portion, wherein the blade portion is below the arm portion and protrudes from the arm portion;
a powder dispensing unit;
a blade feed unit comprising blade material; and
a camera for detecting whether the blade portion or the object is damaged, the camera being attached to the recoater arm.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the blade portion is made of material suitable for making a part via direct laser metal melt additive manufacturing.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the blade feed unit is a payout spool.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the blade feed unit comprises fresh blade material.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a blade receiving unit.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the blade receiving unit is a takeup spool.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the blade receiving unit is a receptacle.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the powder dispensing unit is a hopper.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a computer.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Rockstroh Todd Jay
• Fieldman Zachary David
• Anderson Theodore

Classifications

• B29C64/153 Primary

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B22F12/67

  Blades · CPC title

• B28B1/001

  Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00) · CPC title

• B28B17/0081

  Process control · CPC title

• B29C33/74

  Repairing · CPC title