Removable support for additive manufacture
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsErnst Vogt, Fabian Gubelmann, Dariusz Oliwiusz Palys
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure include a removable support for additive manufacture and methods and code for manufacturing and removing the same. A removable support for a laser-sintered component having at least one surface to connect to may include a support body, a first set of connectors, and a second set of connectors. The support body may have a first wing and a second wing, each with a distal surface and a lateral midline bisecting the distal surface. Each set of connectors may project from the distal surface on one side of the lateral midline of their respective wings to connect to the surface of the component while the distal surface also defines a connector-free portion on the other side of the lateral midline.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- additively manufacturing a laser-sintered component having at least one surface and a removable support extending from and connected to the at least one surface, the removable support further comprising:
- a support body having at least a first wing with a first distal surface and a first lateral midline bisecting the first distal surface and a second wing with a second distal surface and a second lateral midline bisecting the second distal surface;
- a first set of connectors projecting from the first distal surface on a first side of the first lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the first distal surface defines a first connector-free portion on a second side of the first lateral midline;
- and
- a second set of connectors projecting from the second distal surface on a first side of the second lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the second distal surface defines a second connector free portion on a second side of the second lateral midline;
- and
- striking the removable support of the laser-sintered component to separate the first set of connectors and the second set of connectors from the at least one surface by twisting the support body.
A removable support for an additively manufactured, laser-sintered component having at least one surface, the removable support comprising:
- a support body having at least a first wing with a first distal surface and a first lateral midline bisecting the first distal surface and a second wing with a second distal surface and a second lateral midline bisecting the second distal surface;
- a first set of connectors projecting from the first distal surface on a first side of the first lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the first distal surface defines a first connector-free portion on a second side of the first lateral midline;
- and
- a second set of connectors projecting from the second distal surface on a first side of the second lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the second distal surface defines a second connector free portion on a second side of the second lateral midline.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing code representative of a removable support for an additively manufactured, laser-sintered component having at least one surface, the removable support being physically generated upon execution of the code, the removable support comprising:
- a support body having at least a first wing with a first distal surface and a first lateral midline bisecting the first distal surface and a second wing with a second distal surface and a second lateral midline bisecting the second distal surface;
- a first set of connectors projecting from the first distal surface on a first side of the first lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the first distal surface defines a first connector-free portion on a second side of the first lateral midline;
- and
- a second set of connectors projecting from the second distal surface on a first side of the second lateral midline and connected to the at least one surface, wherein the second distal surface defines a second connector free portion on a second side of the second lateral midline.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.