Powder delivery system and method
AssigneeSouthern Methodist University
InventorsRadovan Kovacevic, Michael E. Valant
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Abstract
A powder delivery system for a laser-based additive manufacturing process includes a hopper adapted to contain a powder and continuously feed the powder through an output of the hopper, a rotatable disk having a top surface that is substantially flat, the top surface adapted to receive the powder continuously fed through the output of the hopper, the top surface being disposed below the output of the hopper by a prescribed gap, and a vacuum powder removal device operable to remove the powder from the top surface via a vacuum.
Claims16
A powder delivery system for a laser-based additive manufacturing process, comprising:
- a hopper adapted to contain a powder and continuously feed the powder through an output of the hopper;
- a metering device adjacent the output of the hopper, the metering device comprising a rotatable disk having a top surface that is substantially flat, the top surface adapted to receive the powder continuously fed through the output of the hopper, the top surface being disposed below the output of the hopper by a prescribed gap;
- a powder removal device adjacent the metering device, the powder removal device operable to remove the powder from the metering device and deliver the powder to a nozzle of the laser-based additive manufacturing process;
- and
- a control device operable to vary an amount of the powder continuously fed to the metering device, the control device further operable to vary the prescribed gap between the top surface and the output of the hopper.
A method of delivering a powder in a laser-based additive manufacturing process, comprising:
- containing a powder in a hopper having an output;
- continuously feeding the powder from the output to a top surface of a rotatable disk;
- and
- removing the powder from the top surface with a vacuum powder removal device.
A powder delivery system for a laser-based additive manufacturing process, comprising:
- a hopper adapted to contain a powder and continuously feed the powder through an output of the hopper;
- a rotatable disk having a top surface that is substantially flat, the top surface adapted to receive the powder continuously fed through the output of the hopper, the top surface being disposed below the output of the hopper by a prescribed gap;
- and
- a vacuum powder removal device operable to remove the powder from the top surface via a vacuum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.