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US 12,103,227 B2Granted
Powder removal floating structures
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDaniel Jason Erno, Arunkumar Natarajan, Ken Ivcar Salas Nobrega, Ananda Barua
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An article of manufacture includes a part structure formed via a first additive manufacturing process and a floating structure within the part structure which is mechanically decoupled from the part structure. The floating structure is formed concurrently with the part structure via the first additive manufacturing process.
Claims15
A powder removal method, comprising:
- generatively forming a part structure and at least one floating structure disposed within at least one channel defined by the part structure from a build file via a generative build process, the at least one channel including powder disposed therein, the at least one floating structure surrounded by the powder, the at least one channel defining an opening sized for removal of the at least one floating structure from the at least one channel;
- and
- vibrating the part structure and the at least one floating structure so as to remove the powder and the at least one floating structure from within the at least one channel through the opening,
- wherein the at least one floating structure occupies from 80% to 99% of the volume of the at least one channel.
1 more element
A method of additively manufacturing a part structure, the method comprising:
- additively manufacturing a part structure and a plurality of floating structures disposed within a channel defined by the part structure, wherein the channel comprises an opening sized for removal of the plurality of floating structures from the channel, and
- wherein the channel contains powder surrounding each floating structure of the plurality of floating structures;
- and
- removing the plurality of floating structures and the powder from the channel through the opening at least in part by causing relative motion between the plurality of floating structures and the powder;
- wherein the plurality of floating structures occupy from 80% to 99% of the volume of the channel.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.