Build material conveyors
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsStan Markwell, Andre Garcia, Bernardo A Gutierrez, Joan Mach Beneyto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A build material conveyor is disclosed. Such conveyor comprising an auger to transport build material in a substantially vertical direction wherein the conveyor further comprises a set of wall elements selectively positioned to, in a first position occupy part of the volume of the auger.
Claims19
A conveyor comprising:
- an inlet defining a passage from a container into the conveyor,
- wherein the container stores powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material;
- an outlet located remote from the inlet, and
- a helicoidal element arranged between the inlet and the outlet, the helicoidal element surrounding a central axis;
- wherein the conveyor transports powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material using at least part of an effective area of the helicoidal element defined as the area between each pair of adjacent crests of the helicoidal element and transversely between the edge of the adjacent crests and the central axis and
- wherein the conveyor further comprises a set of wall elements configured to selectively cover, at least partially the effective area of the helicoidal element, the wall elements biased to extend laterally into the area between adjacent crests of the helicoidal element but moveable in a plane to accommodate rotation of the helicoidal element.
A conveyor comprising an auger to transport powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material from a container which stores powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material in a direction wherein the conveyor further comprises a set of wall elements selectively positioned to, in a first position occupy part of the volume of the auger, the wall elements comprising flexible bristles extending into an area between turns of the auger, wherein the wall elements are movable from the first position wherein the elements occupy, at least partially the volume of the auger and a second position wherein the wall elements are outside the volume of the auger.
3D printing system comprising a storage module and a conveyor to transport material from the storage module, the system further comprising:
- an inlet defining a passage between the storage module and the conveyor, wherein
- the storage module stores powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material;
- an outlet located remote from the inlet, and
- helicoidal element arranged between the inlet and the outlet, the helicoidal element surrounding a central axis;
- wherein the conveyor transports powdered type material, particulate type material, or liquid material using an effective area of the helicoidal element defined as the area between each pair of adjacent crests of the helicoidal element and transversely between the edge of the adjacent crests and the central axis and
- wherein the conveyor further comprises a set of wall elements configured to selectively cover, at least partially the effective area of the helicoidal element, the wall elements biased to extend laterally into the area between adjacent crests of the helicoidal element but moveable in a plane as deflected by rotation of the helicoidal element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.