Pneumatic Powder Transport System
Assignee3D Systems, Inc.
InventorBrian D. Cox
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for pneumatic powder transfer from a powder supply container to applications such as laser sintering systems. The method and apparatus use both constant and cyclic flows of a pressurized gas to fluidize and convey powders without the need for any tilting unloading stands, vibration or other mechanical working of the powder.
Claims10
A method for producing a bed of powder in a process chamber of a laser sintering machine in which a three-dimensional article is formed in layerwise fashion comprising the steps of:
- (a) pneumatically feeding a virgin powder from a virgin powder container into a powder processing unit;
- (b) pneumatically feeding powder from the powder processing unit into a feed hopper in the laser sintering machine;
- (c) depositing a first portion of powder from the feed hopper into the process chamber and across a target area;
- and wherein the step of pneumatically feeding a virgin powder from a virgin powder container into a powder processing unit comprises the steps of:
- i. fluidizing the virgin powder in the virgin powder container with a first flow rate of a first supply of compressed gas;
- ii. intermittently pressurizing the virgin powder container with a second higher flow rate of the first supply of compressed gas;
- and
- iii. removing a fluidized stream of the powder from a bottom outlet of the virgin powder container.
A method for producing a bed of powder in a process chamber of a laser sintering machine in which a three-dimensional article is formed in layerwise fashion comprising the steps of:
- (a) pneumatically feeding a virgin powder from a virgin powder container into a feed hopper in the laser sintering machine;
- (b) depositing a first portion of powder from the feed hopper into the process chamber and across a target area;
- and
- wherein the step of pneumatically feeding a virgin powder from a virgin powder container into a feed hopper in the laser sintering machine comprises the steps of:
- i. fluidizing the virgin powder in the virgin powder container with a first flow rate of a first supply of compressed gas;
- ii. intermittently pressurizing the virgin powder container with a second higher flow rate of the first supply of compressed gas;
- and
- iii. removing a fluidized stream of the powder from a bottom outlet of the virgin powder container.
A method for transferring a powder from a pneumatic powder transfer system comprising the steps of:
- (a) connecting a container to supply powder to the pneumatic powder transfer system;
- (b) fluidizing the powder in the pneumatic powder transfer system with a first flow rate of a first supply of compressed gas;
- (c) intermittently pressurizing the container with a second higher flow rate of the first supply of compressed gas;
- and
- (d) removing a fluidized stream of the powder from a bottom outlet of the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.