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Powder distribution in additive manufacturing

  • US 9,126,167 B2
  • Filed: 05/11/2012
  • Issued: 09/08/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An additive manufacturing method for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed provided on a work table, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said method comprising the steps of:

  • providing at least one rotatable powder container above a powder table, said powder container comprising at least one exit for providing powder to the powder table arranged beside said work table, at least one opening inside said container is spatially separated from and connected to said at least one exit;

    rotating said powder container;

    ejecting a fixed amount of powder from said powder container during at least one predetermined segment of rotational angles of said powder container, as long as more than a predetermined amount of powder is remaining in the container, from the exit of said powder container onto said powder table, wherein said fixed amount is determined based upon the shape and size of the at least one opening inside said container; and

    distributing at least a part of said fixed amount of powder from said powder table to said work table with a distributor for forming at least a part of a layer of said powder bed.

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