Additive manufacturing using a removable build module
AssigneeFreemelt AB
InventorsUlf ACKELID, Ulric LJUNGBLAD, Martin WILDHEIM, Robin STEPHANSEN, Fredrik SELMOSSON
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for additive manufacturing includes a particle beam providing module and a removable build module. The removable build module includes: a build tank including walls; at least one powder supply tank; and a recoating arrangement arranged to recoat the build tank with powder from the at least one powder supply tank. The particle beam providing module and the removable build module together form a vacuum chamber when the removable build module is attached to the particle beam providing module in the apparatus, so that the walls of the build tank form a barrier part of the vacuum chamber.
Claims24
An apparatus for additive manufacturing, the apparatus comprising a particle beam providing module and a removable build module, wherein the removable build module comprises:
- a build tank comprising walls;
- at least one powder supply tank;
- and
- a recoating arrangement, arranged to recoat the build tank with powder from the at least one powder supply tank,
- wherein the particle beam providing module and the removable build module together form a vacuum chamber when the removable build module is attached to the particle beam providing module in the apparatus, so that the walls of the build tank form a barrier part of said vacuum chamber.
The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the cover covers both the build tank and the at least one powder supply tank so that the top of both the build tank and the at least one powder supply tank are open when the removable build module is removed from the apparatus for easy refill of the at least one powder supply tank.
An arrangement for additive manufacturing, comprising:
- a plurality of apparatuses for additive manufacturing, each apparatus comprising:
- a particle beam providing module, and
- a removable build module;
- and
- a central module comprising resources that are shared by all the apparatuses in the arrangement.
A method for additive manufacturing using an apparatus comprising a particle beam providing module and a removable build module the removable build module comprising a build tank comprising walls at least one powder supply tank and a recoating arrangement, the method comprising:
- filling the at least one powder supply tank in the removable build module with powder;
- attaching the removable build module to the particle beam providing module so that they together form a vacuum chamber in the apparatus, where the walls of the build tank form a barrier part of said vacuum chamber;
- applying vacuum pressure to the removable build module and the particle beam providing module;
- creating a powder bed in the build tank using the recoating arrangement and powder from the at least one powder supply tank;
- successively forming a build in the build tank using selective particle beam powder bed fusion on successive layers of the powder bed, while successively recoating the build tank using the recoating arrangement;
- removing the removable build module from the particle beam providing module;
- and
- removing the build from the build tank.
A method for additive manufacturing, using an arrangement comprising a plurality of apparatuses for additive manufacturing, each apparatus comprising a particle beam providing module and a removable build module, the method comprising arranging all the apparatuses in the arrangement to share resources comprised in a central module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.