Maintenance and cleaning in an additive manufacturing machine
AssigneeTritone Technologies Ltd.
InventorsEli Kedar, Alon Feldman, Ofer Ben-Zur, Rami Ben-Maimon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A 3D printing system in which paste is used to fill a space enclosed by a 3D printed mold wall, uses a blade for spreading the paste. A cleaning system for the blade includes an immersion bath, which is filled with fluid to a fluid level. Rotating brushes are partly submerged in the fluid, and when cleaning is needed, the blade is located between the brushes. The brushes rotate onto the knife such that each surface of the knife is brushed over to remove debris from the paste into the fluid.
Claims18
A 3D printing system in which paste is used to fill a space enclosed by a 3D printed mold wall, the 3D printing system comprising a blade for spreading the paste, the system comprising a cleaning system, the cleaning system comprising a fluid and an applicator for applying the fluid to the blade to clean the blade after spreading the paste, wherein the cleaning system comprises an immersion bath for said fluid, the immersion bath filled with said fluid to a fluid surface level, and the applicator comprises rotating brushes partly submerged in said fluid, the blade cleaning system configured to locate said blade between said brushes, and to rotate said brushes onto said blade such that each surface of said blade is brushed into said fluid.
A 3D printing system in which paste is used to fill a space enclosed by a 3D printed mold wall, the 3D printing system comprising a blade for spreading the paste, the system comprising a cleaning system the cleaning system comprising a blade holder and air ducts directed at said blade, the air ducts connected to a source of pressurized air, wherein said blade is held in a blade holder, said blade holder comprising air ducts directed at said blade, the air ducts connected to a source of pressurized air to provide a curtain of pressurized air running along said blade.
A 3D printing system in which paste is used to fill a space enclosed by a 3D printed mold wall, the 3D printing system comprising a blade for spreading the paste, the system comprising a cleaning system, the cleaning system comprising a fluid and an applicator for applying the fluid to the blade to clean the blade after spreading the paste, further comprising a vacuum cover for placing over a newly formed layer to seal with a printing platen and form a vacuum over said layer to harden said layer, and a source of pressurized air, the source of pressurized air being controllable to provide compressed air to said platen prior to providing said vacuum, thereby to remove debris from said platen to allow a vacuum seal to be formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.