Chamber Systems For Additive Manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017120334-A1
Application number	US-201615336485-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 27, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	May 4, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include creating, by a 3D printer contained within an enclosure, a part having a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms. A gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure atmospheric level. In some embodiments, a wheeled vehicle may transport the part from inside the enclosure, through an airlock, as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock.

First claim

1 . A method of additive manufacture, the method comprising:
creating, by a first machine contained within a first enclosure, a first part via a first process comprising additive manufacture using a patterned energy beam, wherein the first part has a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms; maintaining, by a first gas management system during the creating, gaseous oxygen within the first enclosure below atmospheric levels; transporting the first part from inside the first enclosure, through an airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the first enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the first enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the first enclosure and the airlock; and continuously supporting the weight of the first part during the transporting.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of transporting and continuously supporting the first part by using a wheeled vehicle.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second process comprises removal of unamalgamated granular material, heat treatment, peening, cutting, or painting.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the location is within a second enclosure.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising maintaining, by a second gas management system during the performing, gaseous oxygen within the second enclosure at or below a limiting oxygen concentration.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the transporting comprises rolling, by a wheeled vehicle, over a supporting surface.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the supporting surface is a floor.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the supporting surface is at least one rail located below the first part.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the supporting surface is at least one rail located above the first part.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transporting comprises rolling, by a wheeled vehicle, over a floor, at least one rail located below the first part, or at least one rail located above the first part.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing from the first enclosure through the airlock a second part manufactured by a second machine of the plurality of machines a second process comprising additive manufacture, the second process being independent of the first process, wherein the second part has a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the removing comprises transporting, by the wheeled vehicle, the second part from inside the first enclosure, through the airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between the gaseous environment within the first enclosure and the gaseous environment outside the first enclosure, and to the location.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising continuously supporting, by the wheeled vehicle, the weight of the second part during the transporting of the second part from inside the first enclosure, through the airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between the gaseous environment within the first enclosure and the gaseous environment outside the first enclosure, and to the location.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising assisting, by a human working within the first enclosure, in removing unamalgamated granular material from around the first part.

15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising wearing, by the human during the assisting, a self contained breathing apparatus.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein first process comprises:
distributing a first layer of a granular material; directing radiant energy at a first subset of granules within the first layer; distributing a second layer of the granular material over the top of the first layer; and directing radiant energy at a second subset of granules within the second layer.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first process further comprises:
melting or sintering the first subset of granules; and melting or sintering the second subset of granules.

18 . The method of claim 17 , the first process further comprises:
assisting, by a human within the first enclosure, in removing unamalgamated granules of the granular material from around the first part; and wearing, by the human during the assisting, a self contained breathing apparatus.

19 . A method of additive manufacture, the method comprising:
creating, by a first machine contained within an enclosure, a first part via a first process comprising additive manufacture, wherein the first part has a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms; creating, by a second machine contained within the enclosure, a second part via a second, independent process comprising additive manufacture, wherein the second part has a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms; maintaining, by a first gas management system during the creating of the first and second parts, gaseous oxygen within the enclosure below atmospheric level; continuously supporting the weight of the first part as the first part is transported from inside the enclosure, through an airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock; and continuously supporting the weight of the second part as the second part is transported from inside the enclosure, through the airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between the gaseous environment within the enclosure and the gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to the location.

20 . A system comprising:
an enclosure restricting an exchange of gaseous matter between an interior of the enclosure and an exterior of the enclosure; an airlock providing an interface between the interior and the exterior; a plurality of machines, each machine thereof executing within the interior an independent process of additive manufacture comprising power-bed fusion to create parts having weight; a gas management system maintaining gaseous oxygen within the interior at or below a limiting oxygen concentration for the interior; and a wheeled vehicle continuously supporting the weight of one or more of the parts while transporting the one or more of the parts from inside the enclosure, through an airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock.

Assignees

• Seurat Tech Inc

Inventors

• Demuth James A
• Toomre Erik
• Leard Francis L
• Kamshad Kourosh
• Fees Heiner
• Berdichevsky Eugene

Classifications

• B22F10/39

  Traceability, e.g. incorporating identifier into a workpiece or article · CPC title

• B29C64/268 Primary

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title

• B29C64/357

  Recycling · CPC title

• B29C64/35

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B29C64/379

  Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots · CPC title