Inertable container for transporting an additive manufacturing powder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11975461-B2
Application number	US-201816770158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

An inertable container ( 10 ) for transporting an additive manufacturing powder comprises an inertable volume ( 12 ) and a main opening ( 14 ) granting access to the inside of this inertable volume, the inertable volume ( 12 ) comprising an upper portion ( 16 ) and a lower portion ( 18 ), the main opening ( 14 ) being located in the lower portion ( 18 ) of the inertable volume, and the section (S 12 ) of the inertable volume ( 12 ) increasing gradually over at least part of the height (H 10 ) of the container ( 10 ) and from the lower portion ( 18 ) towards the upper portion ( 16 ) of the inertable volume. The main opening is equipped with a passive half-valve ( 20 ) allowing this main opening ( 14 ) to be closed in such a way as to be sealed in an airtight and humidity-proof manner. The container comprises at least two inerting tappings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An inertable container, for transporting an additive manufacturing powder, comprising an inertable volume and a main opening granting access to an inside of the inertable volume, the inertable volume comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, the main opening being located in the lower portion of the inertable volume, and a section of the inertable volume increasing gradually over at least part of a height of the container and from the lower portion toward the upper portion of the inertable volume,
wherein the main opening is equipped with a passive half-valve allowing the main opening to be closed in such a way as to be sealed in an airtight and humidity-proof manner, and
wherein the container comprises at least two inerting tappings, at least one first upper tapping granting access to the upper portion of the inertable volume and at least one second lower tapping granting access to the lower portion of the inertable volume.

2. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein, with the passive half-valve comprising a body supporting a butterfly valve for closing the main opening of the container, the passive half-valve comprises means for locking the butterfly valve in a closed position.

3. The inertable container according to claim 2 , wherein the locking means are unlocked by coupling the passive half-valve with an active half-valve, the locking means allowing separation of the passive half-valve and of the active half-valve only when the butterfly valve is in a closed position, and the locking means keeping the butterfly valve in a closed position as long as the passive half-valve is not coupled with an active half-valve.

4. The inertable container according to claim 2 , wherein the locking means is unlocked by coupling the butterfly valve of the passive half-valve with a butterfly valve of an active half-valve, the active half-valve comprising means for unlocking the locking means.

5. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein, with the inertable volume comprising a right-hand side and a left-hand side, the container comprises a lower tapping and an upper tapping on the right-hand side of the inertable volume, and the container comprises a lower tapping and an upper tapping on the left-hand side of the inertable volume.

6. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein, with the container comprising a lower portion and an upper portion, the container comprises at least two lower connectors positioned in the lower portion of the container and at least two upper connectors positioned in the upper portion of the container, a first upper connector and a first lower connector being connected by a same pipe to a lower tapping granting access to the lower portion of the inertable volume, and a second upper connector and a second lower connector being connected by the same pipe to an upper tapping granting access to the upper portion of the inertable volume.

7. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein the upper portion of the inertable volume forms part of the upper portion of the container, and wherein the lower portion of the inertable volume forms part of the lower portion of the container.

8. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein the section of the inertable volume increases gradually over the entire height of the inertable volume.

9. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein the section of the inertable volume increases gradually in the lower portion of the inertable volume, and wherein the section of the inertable volume remains constant in the upper portion of the inertable volume.

10. The inertable container according to claim 1 , wherein the container comprises an additional opening granting access to the inside of the inertable volume, the additional opening being equipped with a closure cover.

Assignees

• Addup

Inventors

• Eyermann Didier
• Angele Ludovic
• Gonzalez Antonio

Classifications

• B29C31/02 Primary

  Dispensing from vessels, e.g. hoppers {(into a mould cavity B29C31/04; large containers characterised by discharge means B65D88/28, B65D88/54)} · CPC title

• B22F10/73

  of powder · CPC title

• B22F12/52

  Hoppers · CPC title

• B22F12/86

  Serial processing with multiple devices grouped · CPC title

• B29C64/307

  Handling of material to be used in additive manufacturing · CPC title