# US 2024/0189909 A1 · Additive manufacturing systems with a contaminant removal system and methodologies for removing contaminants during additive manufacturing processes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0189909 A1 - Document ID: US20240189909A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/063,187 - Filed: 2022-12-08 - Published: 2024-06-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-08 - Assignees: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC - Applicants: Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC - Inventors: Thomas Dobrowolski; Andrew Platt; Monte Lively - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240189909A1 ## CPC - B22F 10/68: Cleaning or washing - B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - B22F 10/37: of powder bed aspects, e.g. density - B22F 10/66: by mechanical means - B22F 10/85: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B22F 12/30: Platforms or substrates - B22F 12/50: Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads - B22F 12/60: Planarisation devices; Compression devices - B22F 12/67: Blades - B22F 12/70: Gas flow means - B22F 12/90: Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors - B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 40/20: Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - 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 - 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 - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract An additive manufacturing system includes an additive manufacturing apparatus and control circuitry. The apparatus includes a build chamber, a platform, a material delivery system, a laser system, and a contaminant remover. The platform is positioned in the build chamber and is configured to support one or more objects being manufactured. The material delivery system is configured to provide feedstock material to the build chamber. The laser system is configured to melt the feedstock material to form the one or more objects being manufactured. The contaminant remover is configured to remove contaminants from a top layer of the one or more objects being manufactured prior to the material delivery system depositing a layer of the feedstock material thereon. The control circuitry is configured to control at least a portion of operation of the additive manufacturing apparatus. Contaminants may be removed from an object during manufacture of the object with the system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An additive manufacturing system, comprising: an additive manufacturing apparatus including: a build chamber; a platform positioned in the build chamber and configured to support one or more objects being manufactured; a material delivery system configured to provide feedstock material to the build chamber; a laser system configured to melt the feedstock material to form the one or more objects being manufactured; and a contaminant remover configured to remove contaminants from a top layer of the one or more objects being manufactured prior to the material delivery system depositing a layer of the feedstock material thereon; and control circuitry configured to control at least a portion of operation of the additive manufacturing apparatus. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the contaminant remover includes at least one contaminant removing component chosen from (1) a contaminant abrader configured to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects and (2) one or more nozzles configured to connect to a gas displacement mechanism that causes at least one gas flow chosen from suction and expulsion at the one or more nozzles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the contaminant remover comprises a contaminant abrader, the contaminant abrader including at least one contact component chosen from among a blade, a brush, and a rubber component. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The additive manufacturing system of claim 3, wherein the contaminant abrader is configured to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects by mechanical abrasion and by pushing the contaminants off of the top layer of the one or more objects during a contaminant removal process. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The additive manufacturing system of claim 3, wherein a position of a distal end of the contaminant abrader is below a top surface of the one or more objects during a contaminant removal process. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The additive manufacturing system of claim 3, wherein the material delivery system includes: (1) a powder outlet configured to direct the feedstock material received from a material feed onto the platform and the one or more objects as the material delivery system moves across the build chamber in a first direction to recoat the platform and the one or more objects with the feedstock material; and (2) a powder leveler positioned on a bottom of the material delivery system behind the powder outlet relative to the first direction, the powder leveler configured to level the feedstock material after the feedstock material is deposited on the platform and one or more objects; and wherein the contaminant abrader is positioned on the bottom of the material delivery system in front of the powder outlet relative to the first direction, and wherein a distal end of the contaminant abrader is positioned further from the bottom of the material delivery system than a distal end of the powder leveler. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the contaminant remover includes: (1) a contaminant abrader configured to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects; and (2) one or more nozzles configured to connect to a gas displacement mechanism that causes at least one gas flow chosen from suction and expulsion at the one or more nozzles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configure to: control the additive manufacturing apparatus to form the top layer of the one or more objects; control the contaminant remover to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects formed prior to the material delivery system depositing a subsequent layer of the feedstock material thereon; and control the material delivery system to deposit the subsequent layer of the feedstock material on the top layer after the contaminant remover removes the contaminants from the top layer. ### Claim 9 A material delivery system for an additive manufacturing system configured to manufacture one or more objects on a platform, the material delivery system comprising: a body; a powder outlet formed in a bottom of the body; a powder leveler positioned at the bottom of the body behind the powder outlet relative to a first direction, the powder leveler configured to level a feedstock material after the feedstock material is deposited on the platform and the one or more objects; and a contaminant remover configured to remove contaminants from a top layer of the one or more objects prior to the material delivery system depositing a layer of the feedstock material on the platform and the one or more objects. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The material delivery system of claim 9, wherein the contaminant remover includes at least one contaminant removing component chosen from (1) a contaminant abrader configured to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects and (2) one or more nozzles configured to connect to a gas displacement mechanism that causes at least one gas flow chosen from suction and expulsion at the one or more nozzles. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The material delivery system of claim 9, wherein the contaminant remover comprises a contaminant abrader, the contaminant abrader includes at least one contact component chosen from a blade, a brush, and a rubber component. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The material delivery system of claim 11, wherein the at least one contact component is configured to remove the contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects by mechanical abrasion and by pushing the contaminants off of the top layer of the one or more objects during a contaminant removal process. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The material delivery system of claim 11, wherein a relative position of a distal end of the contaminant abrader is below a top surface of the one or more objects during a contaminant removal process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The material delivery system of claim 11, wherein the contaminant abrader is positioned on the bottom in front of the powder outlet relative to the first direction, and wherein the distal end of the contaminant abrader is positioned further from the bottom than a distal end of the powder leveler. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The material delivery system of claim 14, wherein the distal end of the contaminant abrader is positioned further from the bottom than the distal end of the powder leveler by at least about one layer thickness of the feedstock material deposited by the powder outlet and leveled by the powder leveler. ### Claim 16 A method for controlling an additive manufacturing system for manufacturing one or more objects, the additive manufacturing system including an additive manufacturing apparatus and control circuitry, the method comprising: controlling, with the control circuitry, the additive manufacturing apparatus to form a top layer of the one or more objects, the additive manufacturing apparatus including a build chamber, an additive manufacturing apparatus including a platform positioned in the build chamber and configured to support one or more objects, a material delivery system configured to provide feedstock material to the build chamber, a laser system configured to melt the feedstock material to form layers of the one or more objects, and a contaminant remover configured to remove contaminants from the top layer of the one or more objects; controlling, with the control circuitry, the contaminant remover to remove the contaminants from the layer of the one or more objects formed prior to the material delivery system depositing a subsequent layer of the feedstock material thereon; and controlling, with the control circuitry, the material delivery system to deposit the subsequent layer of the feedstock material on the top layer after the contaminant remover removes the contaminants from the top layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the contaminant remover comprises a contaminant abrader, the method further comprising controlling a relative position between the contaminant abrader and the platform such that a relative position of a distal end of the contaminant abrader is below a top surface of the one or more objects while removing the contaminants from the layer of the one or more objects. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein removing the contaminants from the layer of the one or more objects includes mechanical abrasion and pushing the contaminants off of the top layer of the one or more objects. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the additive manufacturing system includes a gas displacement mechanism and the contaminant remover includes one or more nozzles connected to the gas displacement mechanism via tubing, wherein removing the contaminants from the layer of the one or more objects includes controlling the gas displacement mechanism to cause at least one gas flow chosen from suction and expulsion at the one or more nozzles. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control at least a portion of operation of the additive manufacturing apparatus.