Apparatuses and related systems and methods for transporting carrying plates for an additive manufacturing machine or system

A method of transporting a carrying plate for use in an additive manufacturing process, the method comprising:

• detachably securing a carrying plate to a perimeter frame of a carrying assembly with one or more indexing pins extending or extensible inwardly from the perimeter frame, and with the perimeter frame surrounding a perimeter of the carrying plate;
• and
• transporting the carrying assembly with a lifting assembly, the lifting assembly comprising a carriage having one or more lifting arms configured to lift the carrying assembly at least in part by one or more carrying arms of the carrying assembly, wherein the one or more carrying arms respectively comprise a lifting point at a distal portion of the respective carrying arm, the lifting point comprising a lifting block configured to interface with a carrying recess on a corresponding lifting arm of a lifting assembly configured to transport the carrying assembly.