Process Chamber and Method for Processing a Material by a Directed Beam of Electromagnetic Radiation, in Particular for a Laser Sintering Device

Abstract

A process chamber for a processing of a material by means of a directed beam of electromagnetic radiation is provided, which comprises an optical element (9) for coupling the beam (7) into the process chamber (10), wherein the optical element has a surface (9a) facing the inside of the process chamber, a wall section (12) surrounding the optical element (9), a first inlet (16) for a gas that is arranged at one side of the optical element (9) and designed such that an escaping first gas flow (18) strokes substantially tangentially over the surface (9a) of the optical element (9), a second inlet (23) for a gas, which is designed and arranged such that an escaping second gas flow (25) flows at a distance to the surface (9a) in substantially the same direction as the first gas flow (18).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.