Thermal management system for a removable build chamber for use with a laser sintering system
Assignee3D Systems, Inc.
InventorsChristian Merot, Tae Chung, Raymond Bishop
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal management system is provided to control the preheating and cool down of a removable build chamber in a laser sintering system. A thermal management station controls preheating of a removable build chamber to heat the chamber to a temperature at or near the operating temperature of the laser sintering system. After insertion into the laser sintering system and completion of a build the thermal management station controls the cool down of the part cake within the removable build chamber after the chamber has been removed from the laser sintering system.
Claims12
A method for controlling the temperature of a build chamber used in a laser sintering system comprising the steps of:
- a. connecting a first build chamber to a thermal management station to preheat the build chamber to a temperature at or near an operating temperature of the laser sintering system;
- b. disconnecting the build chamber from the thermal management station and inserting it into the laser sintering system;
- c. operating the laser sintering system to complete a build by forming at least one part in a part cake comprised of fused and unfused powder;
- d. removing the build chamber from the laser sintering system;
- e. connecting the removed build chamber to thermal management station;
- and
- f. controlling the cool down of the build chamber to lower the temperature of the build chamber and the part cake to a temperature to permit breakout and removal of the at least one part in the part cake.
A thermal management system for a removable build chamber for a laser sintering system comprising in combination:
- a. a build chamber removably connectable to a laser sintering system, the build chamber including a build cylinder with a periphery and adapted to retain a part cake formed from fused and unfused powder material during a part build;
- b. at least one heater connected to the build cylinder effective to selectively supply heat to the build cylinder;
- c. at least one thermistor in the at least one heater effective to sense temperatures about the periphery of the build cylinder;
- d. a source of electrical power;
- and
- e. a thermal management station connected to the source of electrical power and connectable to the build chamber effective to selectively supply energy to the at least one heater to preheat the removable build chamber to a desired temperature prior to commencing a build and upon completion of a build effective to selectively supply heat to the build chamber and the build cylinder in response to sensings received from the at least one thermistor to control cool down of the part cake within the build cylinder in a manner effective to avoid thermal distortion of a part formed from the fused powder during laser sintering.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.