Apparatus for treatment of residual thermoplastic powder
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorBruno ALVES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for the treatment of residual thermoplastic powder from an additive manufacturing process includes a feed apparatus for feeding powder, which includes the residual thermoplastic powder, to a pressing area, and two rotatable roller elements which are drivable in opposite directions. Lateral surfaces of the two rotatable roller elements are adjacent to one another in a pressing area and each laterally have a plurality of molding elements that are assigned to one another in pairs in order to compress powder into granules in the pressing area. Also, a cam mechanism is included and configured to deflect the molding elements of one of the two rotatable roller elements radially depending on the angle of rotation.
Claims20
An apparatus for treatment of a residual thermoplastic powder from an additive manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising:
- a feed apparatus for feeding powder to a pressing area, wherein the powder includes the residual thermoplastic powder;
- two rotatable roller elements, wherein the two rotatable roller elements are drivable in opposite directions and each of the two rotatable roller elements have a lateral surface, the lateral surfaces are adjacent to one another in the pressing area, and each of the lateral surfaces has a plurality of molding elements assigned to one another in pairs such that the powder is compressed into granules by the plurality of molding elements in the pressing area;
- and
- a cam mechanism configured to deflect the plurality of molding elements of one of the two rotatable roller elements radially as a function of an angle of rotation of the one of the two rotatable roller elements.
An apparatus for treatment of a residual thermoplastic powder from an additive manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising:
- a feed apparatus for feeding a powder, wherein the powder includes the residual thermoplastic powder;
- a first roller element and a second roller element, wherein the first and second roller elements are drivable in opposite rotational directions, each of the first and second roller elements have a lateral surface adjacent to and in contact with one another in a pressing area, and the lateral surfaces of the first and second roller elements each having a plurality of molding elements assigned to one another in pairs such that the powder fed into the pressing area by the feed apparatus is compressed into granules;
- and
- a cam mechanism configured to deflect the plurality of molding elements of the first roller element radially as a function of an angle of rotation of the first roller element.
An apparatus for treatment of a residual thermoplastic powder from an additive manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising:
- a feed apparatus for feeding a powder, wherein the powder includes the residual thermoplastic powder from the additive manufacturing process;
- a first roller element and a second roller element, wherein the first and second roller elements are drivable in opposite rotational directions, each of the first and second roller elements have a lateral surface adjacent to and in contact with one another in a pressing area, and the lateral surfaces of the first and second roller elements each have a plurality of molding elements assigned to one another in pairs;
- and
- a cam mechanism configured to deflect the plurality of molding elements of the first roller element radially outward as a function of an angle of rotation of the first roller element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.