# US 2019/0168304 A1 · Apparatus for producing three-dimensional workpiece comprising a plurality of powder application devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168304 A1 - Document ID: US20190168304A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/272,681 - Filed: 2019-02-11 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-10 - Applicants: SLM Solutions Group AG - Inventors: Toni Adam Krol; Dieter Schwarze; Henner Schoeneborn; Lukas Roesgen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168304A1 ## CPC - B28B 17/0081: {Process control} - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - B22F 12/45: Two or more - B22F 12/55: Two or more means for feeding material - B29C 64/153: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting - B29C 64/20: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - C04B 35/64: Burning or sintering processes (C04B33/32 takes precedence {; powder metallurgy B22F}) - G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD] - B22F 12/90: Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors - B28B 1/001: {Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00)} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - G06F 2119/18: Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - B28B: SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER (foundry moulding B22C; working stone or stone-like material B28D; shaping of substances in a plastic state, in general B29C; making layered products not composed wholly of these substances B32B) - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional workpiece is provided, the apparatus including a carrier for receiving a raw material powder, at least a first irradiation device for selectively irradiating an electromagnetic or particle radiation beam onto raw material powder being deposited on at least one build area of the carrier in order to produce a workpiece made of the raw material powder by an additive layer construction method, and at least a first and a second powder application device configured to simultaneously deposit raw material powder onto the same build area to produce a sequence of raw material powder layers on top of one another, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate a section of the build area between the powder application devices. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-14. (canceled) ### Claim 15 An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional workpiece, the apparatus comprising: a carrier for receiving a raw material powder, at least a first irradiation device for selectively irradiating an electromagnetic or particle radiation beam onto raw material powder being deposited on at least one build area of the carrier in order to produce a workpiece made of said raw material powder by an additive layer construction method, and at least a first and a second powder application device being configured to simultaneously deposit raw material powder onto the same build area to produce a sequence of raw material powder layers on top of one another, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate a section of the build area between the powder application devices, the build area defines a maximum possible footprint of the workpiece, the irradiation device and/or the radiation beam emitted thereby are movable based on a movement of at least one of the powder application devices, and the first and the second powder application device are movable individually and independently from each other along a height axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the build area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the powder application devices are configured to move relative to the build area n a spaced apart configuration from one another. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the irradiation device is configured to irradiate the section between the powder application devices before the deposition of a lower one of the raw material powder layers has been completed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the powder application devices are configured to move at a constant speed and, in particular, a constant relative speed to one another. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the movement of at least one of the powder application devices is controlled based on an irradiation parameter of a preceding raw material powder layer, said irradiation parameter comprising an irradiation scope and/or irradiation progress of the preceding raw material powder layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, the height position of the powder application devices is adjustable with respect to the build area. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a third powder application device, the first, second and third powder application devices being configured to simultaneously deposit raw material powder onto the same build area in such a manner that they enclose a first and a second section of the build area between them. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second irradiation device, wherein the first irradiation device is configured to irradiate at least the first section of the build area and the second irradiation device is configured to irradiate at least the second section of the build area. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the powder application devices are configured to move from a start region to an end region of the build area while producing said raw material powder layers, wherein after having reached the end region, the powder application devices are configured to move back to the start region. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the height position of the powder application devices and/or the build area is adjustable in such a manner that after being re-arranged in the start region, the powder application devices can deposit a further raw material powder layer on top of the uppermost of said sequence of layers. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein after having reached the end region, the powder application devices are movable relative to the build area according to at least one of the following: adjusting their relative height to the build area; moving sideways with respect to the build area; and moving along a substantially circular path. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein at least one of the powder application devices is guided along an endless track connecting the start region and end region. ### Claim 27 (depends on 15) The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the powder application devices are configured to rotate about a common rotational axis, said axis extending at an angle to the build area. ### Claim 28 A method for operating an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional workpiece, the apparatus comprising: a carrier for receiving a raw material powder, at least a first irradiation device for selectively irradiating an electromagnetic or particle radiation beam onto raw material powder being deposited on at least one build area of the carrier in order to produce a workpiece made of said raw material powder by an additive layer construction method, and at least a first and a second powder application device, the method comprising the steps of: operating the first and a second powder application devices so as to simultaneously deposit raw material powder onto the same build area to produce a sequence of raw material layers on top of one another; and irradiating a section of the build area between the powder application devices; wherein the build area defines a maximum possible footprint of the workpiece, and wherein the irradiation device and/or the radiation beam emitted thereby are moved based on a movement of at least one of the powder application devices, and the first and the second powder application device are movable individually and independently from each other along a height axis which extends substantially perpendicular to the build area.