Powder dispensing system for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12589435-B2
Application number	US-202418746627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2024
Priority date	Jun 26, 2023
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

System and method for dispensing powder material for an additive manufacturing system. A hopper can include a spline configured for rotation to dispense powder material from an exit opening of the hopper. A shield can be provided for one or both ends of the spline to help control powder movement at an interface with the spline, e.g., so powder that passes the interface is trapped in a space. An auger can be provided in a hopper and configured for moving powder in the hopper in two opposed directions in response to rotation of the auger in a single direction. A common drive can be used to move both an auger and spline. One or more load cells can be provided to determine a mass of powder delivered to and/or dispensed from the hopper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A recoater assembly for depositing a powder material for an additive manufacturing system, the recoater assembly comprising:
a hopper body configured to hold the powder material; a spline comprising one or more cavities, wherein the spline is configured to rotate relative to the hopper body to dispense the powder material from the hopper body; and a metering blade positioned over a portion of the spline and configured to define a gap between the metering blade and the spline to limit an amount of powder material that passes through the gap in response to rotation of the spline, wherein the metering blade has a surface that faces the spline and diverges away from the spline in a direction from a leading edge of the metering blade toward a trailing edge of the metering blade.

2 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spline has an uppermost portion and the metering blade is positioned so the gap is located below the uppermost portion of the spline.

3 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the gap has a size of from 200 μm to 2 mm.

4 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the metering blade comprises a blunt edge.

5 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a bottom interface that extends around a lowermost portion of the spline.

6 . The recoater assembly of claim 5 , wherein a leading end of the bottom interface is positioned above the lowermost portion of the spline.

7 . The recoater assembly of claim 5 , wherein a narrowest spacing between the bottom interface and the spline is from 1 mm to 4 mm.

8 . The recoater assembly of claim 5 , wherein the bottom interface is configured to prevent powder material from exiting the hopper body through a lower end of an exit opening of the hopper body.

9 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more cavities has a concave shape in a cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the spline.

10 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cavities extend along a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the spline.

11 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cavities are configured to carry powder material from inside the hopper body to outside the hopper body.

12 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the hopper body has an exit opening in which the spline is positioned, the exit opening having a lower end and an upper end, and the spline is configured to rotate so that portions of the spline within the hopper body move upwardly and toward the upper end of the exit opening of the hopper body.

13 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spline is configured to carry powder material in the hopper body upwardly to and through an exit opening such that powder material is carried by the spline past a highest point of the spline.

14 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spline has an elongated shape with a longitudinal axis and is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the spline.

15 . The recoater assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spline is configured to rotate to carry powder material upwardly and out of the hopper body.

16 . A recoater assembly for depositing a powder material for an additive manufacturing system, the recoater assembly comprising:
a hopper body configured to hold powder material; an auger configured to move powder material in the hopper body in two opposed directions in response to movement of the auger in a single direction; a spline configured to dispense powder material from the hopper body in response to rotation of the spline relative to the hopper body; and a metering blade positioned over a portion of the spline and configured to define a gap between the metering blade and the spline to limit an amount of powder material that passes through the gap in response to rotation of the spline, wherein the metering blade has a surface that faces the spline and diverges away from the spline in a direction from a leading edge of the metering blade toward a trailing edge of the metering blade.

17 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , wherein the auger has a longitudinal axis and the two opposed directions are along the longitudinal axis.

18 . The recoater assembly of claim 17 , wherein the auger is configured to move powder material in the two opposed directions in response to rotation of the auger about the longitudinal axis.

19 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , wherein the auger comprises a double helix mixer configured to distribute the powder material in opposing directions along a longitudinal axis of the auger for a single direction of rotation of the auger.

20 . The recoater assembly of claim 19 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the auger is parallel to a horizontal axis.

21 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , wherein the auger is configured to rotate about an axis that is parallel to an axis about which the spline is configured to rotate.

22 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , wherein the auger includes first and second flights configured to move the powder material in the opposed directions in response to rotation of the auger.

23 . The recoater assembly of claim 22 , wherein the first and second flights are ribbon flights.

24 . The recoater assembly of claim 22 , wherein the first flight is configured to move the powder material in a first one of the two opposed directions and the second flight is configured to move the powder material in a second one of the two opposed directions.

25 . The recoater assembly of claim 22 , wherein the second flight is nested within the first flight.

26 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , wherein the hopper body is elongated and has first and second ends, wherein the hopper body includes a powder inlet located at a first end of the hopper body, and wherein the auger is configured to move powder material from the first end of the hopper body toward the second end, and is configured to move powder material from the second end toward the first end.

27 . The recoater assembly of claim 26 , wherein the hopper body includes an exit opening through which powder material is dispensed from the hopper body, wherein the exit opening extends from the first end to the second end.

28 . The recoater assembly of claim 16 , further comprising a plate between the auger and hopper body at longitudinal ends of the auger, wherein a radius of each plate is greater than a radius of the auger.

29 . A recoater assembly for depositing a powder material for an additive manufacturing system, the recoater assembly comprising:
a hopper body configured to hold a powder material; an auger configured to move powder material in the hopper body; a spline configured to dispense the powder material from the hopper body; a drive system configured to move both the auger and the spline; and a metering blade positioned over a portion of the spline and configured to define a gap between the metering blade and the spline to limit an amount of powder material that passes through the gap in response to rotation of the spline, wherein the metering blade has a surface that faces the spline and diverges away from the spline in a direction from a leading edge of the metering blade toward a trailing edge of the metering blade.

30 . The re

Assignees

• Vulcanforms Inc

Inventors

• Buermeyer Lucas
• Stone William Curtis

Classifications

• B33Y30/00 Primary

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

• B22F12/57

  Metering means · CPC title

• B22F12/67

  Blades · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F12/52 Primary

  Hoppers · CPC title