Powder hopper for additive manufacturing system
AssigneeVulcanForms Inc.
InventorsLucas Buermeyer, Andrew McDermot, Stephen Elliot Wei, William Curtis Stone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hopper for dispensing powder material for an additive manufacturing system includes a gate that is movable along a first direction to open and close a discharge slot and which is pivotable about a pivot axis transverse to the first direction. The first direction can be a horizontal direction and the pivot axis can be parallel to a vertical direction. The gate can have a portion that contacts the hopper, e.g., at a surface including the discharge slot, and is elastically deformed with movement from the open to the closed position.
Claims29
A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- holding powder material within a hopper body;
- moving a gate relative to the hopper body along a first direction;
- pivoting the gate about a pivot axis that is transverse to the first direction;
- dispensing the powder material from the hopper body;
- and
- fusing one or more portions of one or more layers of the powder material with one or more laser energy pixels to form one or more parts on a build surface.
A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- holding powder material within a hopper body;
- moving a gate relative to the hopper body along a first direction;
- pivoting the gate about a pivot axis that is transverse to the first direction;
- and
- dispensing the powder material from the hopper body, wherein dispensing the powder material from the hopper body includes dispensing the powder material in a vertical direction, and wherein the first direction is transverse to the vertical direction and the pivot axis is parallel to the vertical direction.
A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- holding powder material in a hopper body;
- dispensing the powder material through a discharge slot;
- moving a gate relative to the hopper body along a first direction between open and closed positions to open and close the discharge slot, respectively;
- contacting a portion of the gate with the hopper body, and elastically deforming the portion of the gate in the closed position;
- and
- fusing one or more portions of one or more layers of the powder material with one or more laser energy pixels to form one or more parts on a build surface.
A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- holding powder material within a hopper body;
- moving a gate relative to the hopper body along a first direction;
- pivoting the gate about a pivot axis that is transverse to the first direction;
- dispensing the powder material from the hopper body;
- and
- fusing one or more portions of one or more layers of the powder material with one or more laser energy pixels to form one or more parts on a build surface, wherein dispensing the powder material from the hopper body includes dispensing the powder material in a vertical direction, and wherein the first direction is transverse to the vertical direction and the pivot axis is parallel to the vertical direction.
A method for additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- holding powder material in a hopper body;
- dispensing the powder material through a discharge slot;
- moving a gate relative to the hopper body along a first direction between open and closed positions to open and close the discharge slot, respectively;
- contacting a portion of the gate with the hopper body;
- elastically deforming the portion of the gate as the gate moves from the open position to the closed position;
- and
- fusing one or more portions of one or more layers of the powder material with one or more laser energy pixels to form one or more parts on a build surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.