Material manipulation in three-dimensional printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018281237-A1
Application number	US-201815937817-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing systems, apparatuses, software, and methods for the production of at least one requested 3D object. The 3D printer includes a material conveyance system, filtering system, and unpacking station. The material conveyance system may transport pre-transformed material against gravity. The 3D printing described herein comprises facilitating non-interrupted material dispensing through a component of the 3D printer, such as a layer dispenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for printing a three-dimensional object, comprising:
a processing chamber configured to accommodate printing of the three-dimensional object; a vertically translatable platform configured to support the three-dimensional object during its printing, which platform is disposed in the processing chamber; a filtering enclosure comprising:
(i) at least one wall enclosing a volume that is configured to accommodate an internal atmosphere, wherein the internal atmosphere is different from an external atmosphere that comprises a reactive agent,
(ii) an inlet port disposed in the at least one wall, which inlet port is configured to facilitate ingress of a material to the volume, which material comprises a remainder of a pre-transformed material used for printing the three-dimensional object,
(iii) a cartridge opening disposed in the at least one wall, and
(iv) a gas opening operatively coupled to the volume and configured to facilitate flow of gas therethrough; and
a supportive structure configured to accommodate a cartridge comprising a filter and a frame configured to support the filter, which cartridge is configured to: allow entry through the cartridge opening, allow exit through the cartridge opening, and fit in the volume; and one or more controllers operatively coupled to the inlet port, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively configured to direct: (A) upon disposal of the cartridge in the volume and establishment of the internal atmosphere in the volume, facilitate flow of the remainder of the pre-transformed material from a processing chamber through the inlet port into the volume; and (B) upon exit of the cartridge through the opening (i) facilitate reducing a rate at which the reactive agent from the external atmosphere exits from the volume through the inlet port to the processing chamber, which reducing is at least during the printing to print the three-dimensional printing in a printing atmosphere, and (ii) facilitate flow of an internal atmosphere gas into the volume to purge the reactive agent of the external atmosphere from the volume.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the filtering enclosure is operatively coupled to a material remover to receive the material for filtration from the material remover.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the material remover removes the material by (i) attracting a gas and the material into an internal volume of the remover and (ii) cyclonically separating the material from the gas in the remover.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the supportive structure comprises a protrusion, depression, ledge, or a railing.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the supportive structure is configured to support the cartridge upon filtering at least 50 kilograms.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the supportive structure is configured to support the cartridge upon filtering at a throughput of at least about six (6) cubic centimeters of material per hour (cc/hr).

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the supportive structure is configured to support the cartridge upon filtering a material having a fundamental length scale of at most 1000 micrometers.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary exit opening disposed in the at least one wall, wherein the filtering enclosure is configured to filter the pre-transformed material from a larger material and simultaneous eviction of any large material from the filtering enclosure through the secondary exit opening, wherein the larger material is a byproduct of the 3D printing.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein (a) the inlet port comprises a first valve and/or (b) the gas opening comprises a second valve, wherein the one or more controllers are operatively coupled to the first valve and/or second valve.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more controllers are configured to direct the first valve of the inlet port to open to facilitate the flow of the remainder of the pre-transformed material upon the disposal of the cartridge in (A).

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more controllers are configured to direct the second valve of the gas opening to open to facilitate establishing the internal atmosphere in the volume in (A).

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more controllers are configured to direct the first valve of the inlet port to close and/or the second valve of the gas opening to open, to facilitate reduction of the rate at which the reactive agent from the external atmosphere exits from the volume.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more controllers are configured to alternatively open or close the first valve to allow or to prevent the flow of gas therethrough.

14 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the fit of the cartridge in the volume facilitates a filtering of the remainder of the pre-transformed material.

15 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a closure that is configured to reversibly seal of the cartridge opening upon engagement.

16 . The system of claim 1 , comprising at least one sensor disposed within the volume, the inlet port, and/or the gas opening, which at least one sensor is operable to detect a presence of the reactive agent and/or an operational condition of the filter.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the one or more controllers are configured to purge the reactive agent in (ii) considering a detection result from the at least one sensor.

18 . A method of printing a three-dimensional object, comprising at least while printing:
(a) reducing a gas flow that flows from (1) an internal volume of a processing chamber in which the three-dimensional object is being printed to (2) an internal volume of a filtering enclosure; (b) removing a first filtering cartridge from the internal volume of the filtering enclosure to an external atmosphere comprising a reactive agent, which removing is through a cartridge opening, wherein a filtering cartridge is for filtering a remainder of a pre-transformed material used for printing the three-dimensional object; (c) inserting a second filtering cartridge from the external atmosphere through the cartridge opening to the internal volume of the filtering enclosure; (d) purging the external atmosphere from the internal volume by flowing an internal atmosphere gas into the volume; and (e) vertically translating a platform for printing at least a portion of the three-dimensional object in the processing chamber.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the removing the first filtering cartridge in (b), the inserting the second filtering cartridge in (c), and/or the purging the external atmosphere in (d) are during reduction of the gas flow in (a).

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising maintaining a printing atmosphere that is different from the external atmosphere in the internal volume of the processing chamber.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein maintaining the printing atmosphere is during reduction of the gas flow in (a), removal of the first filtering cartridge in (b), insertion of the second filtering cartridge in (c), and/or purging of the external atmosphere in (d).

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein a same gas is used for maintaining the printing atmosphere and for purging the external atmosphere in (d).

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein a first gas used for maintaining the printing atmosphere is different than a second ga

Assignees

• Velo3D Inc

Inventors

• Frechman James
• Lappen Alan Rick

Classifications

• B22F10/73

  of powder · CPC title

• B22F12/41

  characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam · CPC title

• B22F12/30

  Platforms or substrates · CPC title

• B22F10/366

  Scanning parameters, e.g. hatch distance or scanning strategy · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title