Raw material delivery devices and methods of operating the same
AssigneeArcam AB
InventorsKarl Hansson, Peter Karlsson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Raw material devices, systems that incorporate raw material delivery devices, and methods of supplying raw material using the raw material devices. A raw material delivery device includes a hollow body comprising a first end and a second end, the second end disposed above the first end in a system vertical direction, an inlet disposed at the first end of the hollow body, an outlet disposed at the second end of the hollow body, and a stepped passageway disposed within the hollow body between the inlet and the outlet. The stepped passageway is configured to deliver raw material via one or more steps from the inlet to the outlet.
Claims18
A raw material delivery device, comprising:
- a hollow body comprising a first end and a second end, the second end disposed above the first end in a system vertical direction;
- an inlet disposed at the first end of the hollow body;
- an outlet disposed at the second end of the hollow body;
- a stepped passageway disposed within the hollow body between the inlet and the outlet, the stepped passageway;
- and
- a first rotary actuator coupled to the first end of the hollow body and a second rotary actuator coupled to the second end of the hollow body, the first and second rotary actuators configured to synchronously rotate the first end and the second end to shake the hollow body such that one or more portions of raw material entering the hollow body at the inlet moves via the one or more steps toward the outlet.
An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- a work surface;
- and
- a raw material delivery device disposed adjacent to the work surface, the raw material delivery device comprising:
- a hollow body comprising a first end and a second end, the second end disposed above the first end in a system vertical direction,
- an inlet disposed at the first end of the hollow body,
- an outlet disposed at the second end of the hollow body,
- a stepped passageway disposed within the hollow body between the inlet and the outlet;
- and
- a first rotary actuator coupled to the first end of the hollow body and a second rotary actuator coupled to the second end of the hollow body, the first and second rotary actuators configured to synchronously rotate the first end and the second end to shake the hollow body such that one or more portions of raw material entering the hollow body at the inlet moves via the one or more steps toward the outlet.
A method of supplying raw material to a work surface of an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
- supplying the raw material to an inlet of a raw material delivery device, the inlet disposed at a first end of a hollow body;
- and
- actuating a first rotary actuator coupled to the first end of the hollow body;
- actuating a second rotary actuator coupled to a second end of the hollow body such that the first and second rotary actuators synchronously rotate the first end and the second end to shake the hollow body and move raw material up a stepped passageway disposed within the hollow body from the inlet to an outlet disposed at the second end of the hollow body that is located above the first end of the hollow body in a system vertical direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.