Additive manufacturing powder handling system

• US 9,821,543 B1
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Crear, Donnell Eugene, Swanner, Jr., Archie Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Sultana, Nahida
• Application Number:
  US15/287,981
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 264113, 264308, 264401, 425375, 4251744, 425193
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/00 Sieving, screening, sifting, or sorting solid materials using networks, gratings, grids, or the like ash-sifters for domestic stoves or ranges F24B15/007
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/005 Transportable screening plants
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/06 Cone or disc shaped screens
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/38 oscillating in a circular arc in their own plane; Plansifters
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 13/16 Feed or discharge arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/307 Handling of material to be used in additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/357 Recycling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/26 operating with fluidisation of the materials
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 53/60 Devices for separating the materials from propellant gas

Abstract

An additive manufacturing powder handling system includes a powder container and at least two of: an overflow powder collector system configured to collect overflow additive manufacturing powder from the additive manufacturing printer and pass the overflow additive manufacturing powder into the powder container; a vacuum system configured to receive by vacuum force additive manufacturing powder from an additive manufacturing printer and pass the additive manufacturing powder into the powder container; a sieve system configured to filter the additive manufacturing powder; and a powder container moving apparatus configured to move the powder container between any two of the additive manufacturing printer, the overflow powder collector system, the vacuum system, and the sieve system. The powder container includes a powder container coupling. Each of the overflow powder collector system, the vacuum system, and the sieve system includes at least one coupling element configured to receive the powder container coupling.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing powder handling system, comprising:

a powder container including a powder container outlet and a powder container coupling having a predefined dimension;

a vacuum system configured to receive by vacuum force additive manufacturing powder from an additive manufacturing printer and pass the additive manufacturing powder into the powder container, wherein the vacuum system is mounted on a rolling frame, wherein the rolling frame comprises a deck and a plurality of support legs, the deck supported on the plurality of support legs, the vacuum container mounted on the deck;

and

a powder container moving apparatus configured to move the powder container between the additive manufacturing printer and the vacuum system, the powder container moving apparatus having a lift, a gripper on the lift, and a rotator on the lift, the gripper configured to hold the powder container, the rotator configured to rotate the gripper and any powder container held by the gripper,

wherein the vacuum system includes at least one coupling element configured to receive the powder container coupling.

2. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 1, wherein the powder container has a cylindrical body section and a conical funnel section, the conical funnel section being configured to detachably fasten to the cylindrical body section, the conical funnel section having a tapered end defining an opening.

3. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 2, wherein the cylindrical body has a radially outward-facing surface, and the powder container comprises a moving apparatus engagement element extending radially outward from the radially outward-facing surface, the moving apparatus engagement element providing a physical structure for the powder container moving apparatus to securely engage the powder container.

4. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 3, wherein the moving apparatus engagement element comprises a first ring, a second ring parallel to the first ring, and a protruding element between the first ring and the second ring.

5. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 1, wherein the vacuum system further comprises a vacuum container, a vacuum system inlet, and a vacuum system outlet, the vacuum container coupled to the vacuum system inlet and the vacuum system outlet, to receive the additive manufacturing powder from the vacuum system inlet and pass the additive manufacturing powder to the vacuum system outlet.

6. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 5, wherein the vacuum system further comprises a vacuum inlet hose and a vacuum outlet hose, the vacuum inlet hose coupled with the vacuum container and the vacuum system inlet, the vacuum outlet hose coupled with the vacuum container and the vacuum system outlet, the coupling element of the vacuum system defining the vacuum system outlet.

7. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 1, further comprising a sieve system configured to filter the additive manufacturing powder, the sieve system having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the powder container moving apparatus is configured to move the powder container between the additive manufacturing printer, the vacuum system, and the sieve system.

8. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 7, wherein the sieve system comprises a frame, the frame having a lower deck, an upper deck, a plurality of lower support legs, and a plurality of upper support legs, the lower deck supported on the plurality of lower support legs, the sieve mounted on the lower deck, the plurality of upper support legs supported on the plurality of lower support legs, the upper deck supported on the plurality of upper support legs.

9. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 7, wherein the vacuum system, the sieve system, and the powder container moving apparatus are each independent and separate from the additive manufacturing printer.

18. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 1, further comprising an overflow powder collector system configured to collect overflow additive manufacturing powder from the additive manufacturing printer and pass the overflow additive manufacturing powder into the powder container, wherein the powder container moving apparatus is configured to move the powder container between the additive manufacturing printer, the vacuum system, and the overflow powder collector system.

10. An additive manufacturing powder handling system, comprising:

at least one powder container, the at least one powder container including a powder container outlet;

at least one powder container connector;

a vacuum system including a vacuum system inlet, a vacuum system outlet, and a vacuum generator, the vacuum system inlet configured to receive by vacuum force additive manufacturing powder from an additive manufacturing printer, the vacuum system outlet coupled with the vacuum system inlet, the vacuum generator coupled with the vacuum system inlet to create a vacuum force directed into the vacuum system through the vacuum system inlet wherein the vacuum system is mounted on a rolling frame;

a sieve system including a powder sieve, a sieve system inlet, and a sieve system outlet, the powder sieve to filter the additive manufacturing powder, the sieve system inlet coupled to the powder sieve and configured to receive the additive manufacturing powder from the powder container, the sieve system outlet coupled with the powder sieve;

and

a powder container moving apparatus to move the powder container between the vacuum system, or the sieve system, the powder container moving apparatus having a lift, a powder container gripper on the lift, and a rotator on the lift, the gripper configured to hold the powder container, the rotator configured to rotate the powder container gripper,

the at least one powder container connector configured to detachably connect the at least one powder container with the vacuum system outlet, the sieve system inlet, and the sieve system outlet.

11. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 10, wherein the at least one powder container has a cylindrical body section and a conical funnel section, the conical funnel section being configured to detachably fasten to the cylindrical body section, the conical funnel section having a tapered end defining an opening.

12. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 11, wherein the cylindrical body has a radially outward-facing surface, and the at least one powder container comprises a moving apparatus engagement element extending radially outward from the radially outward-facing surface, the moving apparatus engagement element providing a physical structure for the powder container moving apparatus to securely engage the powder container.

13. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 12, wherein the moving apparatus engagement element comprises a first ring, a second ring parallel to the first ring, and a protruding element between the first ring and the second ring.

14. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 10, wherein the vacuum system further comprises a vacuum container coupled with the vacuum system inlet and the vacuum system outlet, to receive the additive manufacturing powder from the vacuum system inlet and pass the additive manufacturing powder to the vacuum system outlet.

15. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 14, wherein vacuum system further comprises a vacuum inlet hose and a vacuum outlet hose, the vacuum inlet hose coupled with the vacuum container and the vacuum system inlet, the vacuum outlet hose coupled with the vacuum container and the vacuum system outlet.

16. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 10, wherein the sieve system further comprises a sieve intake hose and a sieve outlet hose, the sieve intake hose coupled with the sieve system inlet and the powder sieve, the sieve outlet hose coupled with the powder sieve and the sieve system outlet.

17. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 10, wherein the vacuum system and the sieve system are independent and separate from the additive manufacturing printer.

19. The additive manufacturing powder handling system of claim 10, further comprising an overflow powder collector system configured to collect overflow additive manufacturing powder from the additive manufacturing printer and pass the overflow additive manufacturing powder into the at least one powder container, wherein the powder container moving apparatus is configured to move the at least one powder container between the additive manufacturing printer, the vacuum system, and the overflow powder collector system.