US 10,882,302 B2Granted

Powder delivery for additive manufacturing

AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.

InventorsHou T. Ng, Raanan Zehavi, Nag B. Patibandla

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Abstract

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a dispensing system positionable over a platen to deliver a powder, an actuator to move the dispensing system along a scan axis, and an energy source to fuse a portion of the powder. The dispensing system has a hopper to hold the powder and a dispenser. The dispenser includes a channel extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end. The proximal end of the channel of the dispenser is configured to receive the powder from the powder source. A powder conveyor is positioned within the channel to move the powder from the proximal end along a length of the channel, and a plurality of apertures are arranged along the longitudinal axis of the channel. The dispenser is configured such that flow of powder through each aperture is independently controllable.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An additive manufacturing apparatus for forming an object from a plurality of successive layers, the additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a platen to support the object being formed;
a movable dispensing system positionable over a top surface of the platen to deliver a plurality of layers of powder on the platen, the dispensing system including
a hopper to hold powder to be dispensed,
a dispenser, the dispenser having
a channel extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end, the proximal end of the channel of the dispenser configured to receive the powder from the hopper;
a powder conveyor positioned within the channel to move the powder from the proximal end along a length of the channel, and
a plurality of apertures arranged along the longitudinal axis of the channel, the dispenser configured such that flow of powder through each aperture is independently controllable;
an actuator to move the dispensing system along a scan axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
an energy source to apply energy to the powder dispensed on the top surface of the platen to form a fused portion of the powder;
and
a control system including a processor to execute a computer program stored in a non-transitory computer readable media having data and instruction to cause the apparatus to deposit and fuse the plurality of successive layers to form the object, including instructions to, for each layer of the plurality of successive layers,
cause the actuator to move the dispensing system in a scan across the platen,
as the dispensing system scans across the platen cause the dispenser to deliver a layer of powder in a pattern identified by the data onto the platen or onto a previously deposited layer of the plurality of successive layers, and
cause the energy source to fuse a portion of the layer of powder.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/810,758Filed 5 Mar 2020 · division
Priority: 16 Sep 2015
Published: US 2020/0207071 A12 Jul 2020
Granted: 5 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

B29C 64/153
Using only solid materials: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
B05C 19/04
Apparatus specially adapted for applying particulate materials to surfaces: the particulate material being projected, poured or allowed to flow…
B22F 3/004
Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted…:…
B22F 12/52
Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads: hoppers

Family

Application62/219,605Us provisional application · filed 16 Sep 2015
Application62/262,673Us provisional application · filed 3 Dec 2015
Application15/266,420Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Sep 2016
Application16/440,731Parent of this division · filed 13 Jun 2019
US 10,322,574 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Jun 2019
US 2020/0207071 A1Pre-grant publication · published 2 Jul 2020
US 10,603,892 B2Parent of this division
Application16/440,731Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0072636 A1Published application
US 2019/0308406 A1Published application
US 10,882,302 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.