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.
Claims20
A method for removing powder from a substrate having 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 at least one edge of the first portion and a central region of the first portion, without removing the powder deposited on the adjacent portions, using at least one edge vacuum nozzle and a central vacuum nozzle, the central vacuum nozzle being located adjacent to the at least one edge vacuum nozzle.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a substrate having powder deposited thereon;
- a blade configured to contact and move across a first portion of the substrate to scrape the powder from the first portion without scraping the powder on a second portion of the substrate;
- at least one edge vacuum nozzle;
- and
- a central vacuum nozzle located adjacent to the at least one edge vacuum nozzle;
- wherein the at least one edge vacuum nozzle and the central vacuum nozzle are configured to move with the blade to remove the powder from the first portion and a central region of the first portion, without removing the powder deposited on adjacent portions, after the powder has been scraped by the blade.
An apparatus for removing powder from a web having 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
- at least one edge vacuum nozzle configured to move with the flexible blade across the first portion, the at least one 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;
- wherein the at least one edge vacuum nozzle is configured to vacuum up the powder scraped by the flexible blade in the first portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.