3D Printer Powder Drying and Recycling System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recycled non-sintered material powder in three-dimensional printing is prone to absorbing ambient moisture, leading to aggregation and degradation, which hinders the smooth operation and accuracy of long-term automated lamination molding processes.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensional printer system that includes a chamber filled with inert gas, a material supply device, a powder retaining wall, a material-recovery bucket, an impurity removing device, and a material drying device to remove impurities and dry the recycled powder, ensuring its reuse without moisture-related issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If recycled non-sintered material powder is stored in a bucket outside the powder retaining wall, then material circulation is enabled, but powder grains absorb ambient moisture and aggregate, degrading material circulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a drying device that supplies干燥 air to the material recovery bucket, creating a low-humidity environment. This prevents moisture absorption by the recycled powder grains, maintaining their flowability and preventing aggregation while enabling continuous material circulation.
2Ease of manufacture
If material powder is discharged to a bucket outside the chamber, then excess powder and impurities can be separated, but the powder is exposed to ambient environment causing moisture absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The drying device creates a protected environment inside the material recovery bucket by supplying干燥 air, isolating the powder from ambient moisture while allowing the bucket to remain outside the chamber for easy impurity removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The drying air acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the ambient environment and the recycled powder, preventing direct contact with harmful moisture while allowing the powder to be stored and processed outside the chamber.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If powder grains absorb moisture from ambient environment, then they stick together as aggregates, but continuous operation requires maintaining powder flowability
Solution Approach 1:
By maintaining a low-humidity environment in the material recovery bucket through continuous supply of drying air, the system enables long-term automated operation without powder aggregation, ensuring smooth powder layer formation throughout extended manufacturing cycles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the smooth formation of powder layers and maintains high processing accuracy during long-term automated lamination molding by preventing powder degradation and ensuring efficient material circulation.
Implementation Method 1
a material drying device (47) that dries the material powder which is returned from the material-recovery bucket (30) to the material supply device (3)
Implementation Method 2
a chamber (2) that covers a molding region (R) on a base (4) and is filled with inert gas at a predetermined concentration
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional printer (1) includes a material supply device (3) that supplies material powder to a table which is movable vertically, a powder retaining wall (26) that surrounds the table and retains the material powder, a material-recovery bucket (30) that accommodates excess material powder and impurities discharged from the powder retaining wall, an impurity removing device (43) that removes the impurities from the material powder, and a material drying device (47) that dries the material powder. The material powder from which the impurities have been removed and which has been dried is returned and recycled to the material supply device.