Apparatus and method to remove powder with flexible scraper blade and adjustable side nozzles
AssigneeSakuu Corporation
InventorsMorteza Vatani, Timothy Byman, Justin Carroll
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved apparatus and method are provided to remove powder from a web, for example, in a 3D printing apparatus. A flexible blade is provided to contact and move across a first portion of the web located between adjacent portions of the web to scrape powder from the first portion without removing powder deposited on the adjacent portions. A pair of edge vacuum nozzles and a central vacuum nozzle are also provided to move with the flexible blade to remove powder from both edges of the first portion and a central region of the first portion.
Claims25
An apparatus for removing powder from a substrate that has the powder deposited thereon, comprising:
- a blade configured to contact and move across a first portion of the substrate located between adjacent portions of the substrate to scrape the powder from the first portion without scraping the powder deposited on the adjacent portions;
- and
- a pair of edge vacuum nozzles and a central vacuum nozzle, located between the pair of edge vacuum nozzles, wherein each edge vacuum nozzles and the central vacuum nozzle is configured to move with the blade to remove the powder from both edges of the first portion and a central region of the first portion, without removing the powder deposited on the adjacent portions, after the powder has been scraped by the blade.
An apparatus for removing powder from a web that has the powder deposited thereon, comprising:
- a flexible blade configured to contact and move across a first portion of the web located between a second portion of the web, on one side of the first portion, and a third portion of the web, on a second side of the first portion, opposite the second portion, to remove the powder deposited on the first portion without removing the powder deposited on the second and third portions;
- and
- a pair of edge vacuum nozzles, configured to move with the flexible blade across the first portion, comprised of a first edge vacuum nozzle located adjacent to a first edge of the flexible blade and adjacent to a boundary of the first and second portions of the web while the flexible blade moves across the first portion, and a second edge vacuum nozzle, located adjacent to a second edge of the flexible blade, opposite to the first edge of the flexible blade, and adjacent to a boundary of the first and third portions of the web while the flexible blade moves across the first portion, wherein the first and second edge vacuum nozzles are configured to respectively vacuum up the powder, scraped by the flexible blade in the first portion.
A method for removing powder from a substrate that has the powder deposited thereon, comprising:
- contacting and moving a blade across a first portion of the substrate located between adjacent portions of the substrate to scrape the powder from the first portion without scraping the powder deposited on the adjacent portions;
- and
- removing the powder from both edges of the first portion and a central region of the first portion, without removing the powder deposited on the adjacent portions, after the powder has been scraped by the blade using a pair of edge vacuum nozzles and a central vacuum nozzle, located between the pair of edge vacuum nozzles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.