Resin management system for additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a frame;
• a stage operably coupled with the frame and configured to hold a component;
• a radiant energy device operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image;
• an actuator configured to change a relative position of the stage relative to the radiant energy device;
• and
• a resin management system including a material deposition assembly upstream of the stage and configured to deposit a resin on a resin support, the material deposition assembly comprising:
• a reservoir operably coupled with the frame, the reservoir configured to retain a first volume of the resin;
• a vessel separated from the reservoir and operably coupled with the frame, the vessel configured to store a second volume of the resin vertically above the reservoir relative to the frame;
• an impeller positioned within the vessel and configured to agitate the resin within the vessel;
• and
• a conduit configured to direct the resin from the vessel to the reservoir, the conduit positioned below the vessel and above the reservoir in a vertical direction.

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• a stage configured to hold a component;
• a radiant energy device operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image;
• a resin management system including a material deposition assembly upstream of the stage and configured to deposit a resin on a resin support, the material deposition assembly comprising:
• a reservoir configured to retain a first volume of the resin, the reservoir defining an aperture that serves as an outlet for the resin support and a layer of the resin deposited on the resin support;
• a vessel separated from the reservoir and configured to store a second volume of the resin;
• an impeller positioned within the vessel and configured to agitate the resin within the vessel;
• a conduit configured to direct the resin from the vessel to the reservoir;
• and
• a regulator operably coupled with the conduit, the regulator configured to restrict flow of the resin from the vessel to the reservoir in a first position and allow flow from the vessel to the reservoir in a second position;
• a volume sensor positioned upstream of the aperture and configured to provide data related to the first volume of the resin;
• a thickness sensor configured to determine a thickness of the resin on the resin support, the thickness sensor downstream of the reservoir;
• and
• a computing system operably coupled with the regulator, the computing system configured to actuate the regulator from the second position to the first position when the first volume of the resin deviates from a predefined range based on data from the volume sensor and the thickness sensor.