Filter Cleaning Chamber for Passivating Reactive Powder Residue
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filter cleaning methods in metal printing equipment, such as laser sintering or laser melting systems, pose a risk of ignition due to the high reactivity of filter material, leading to increased waste and disposal challenges, especially when using disposable filters or water/oil passivation, and existing methods do not effectively address the reactivity of filter material during disposal.
Innovation Solution
Introduce oxygen for passivation by blowing or drawing atmospheric air into the filter room, creating turbulence to treat and transport the filter material to a separable collection chamber, where it is swirled and reacted with oxygen to reduce reactivity before disposal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the filter element is designed as a disposable component, then manufacturing precision and initial reliability are improved, but loss of substance and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is designed to be removable and reusable rather than disposable. The element can be extracted from the housing, cleaned of accumulated particles, and reinstalled for continued use, thereby recovering the filter medium and avoiding waste while maintaining reliable filtration performance
2Device complexity
If the filter housing is designed as a single piece, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of repair and cleaning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The filter housing is divided into separable components including a housing body and a removable lid or access mechanism. This segmentation allows the filter element to be easily removed for cleaning or replacement while maintaining an otherwise simple and integrated housing structure
3Loss of substance
If the filter element is made reusable, then loss of substance decreases, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element incorporates pre-formed sealing surfaces and g sealing structures during manufacturing. These preliminary sealing features ensure that when the element is removed, cleaned, and reinstalled, it maintains proper sealing without requiring high-precision repositioning or adjustment, thus reducing manufacturing precision requirements for reusable operation
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
The method achieves complete or partial passivation of filter material, reducing the risk of ignition and waste volume, allowing for safe disposal and extended filter usage intervals, with minimal downtime and preparation for re-use.
Implementation Method 1
a jet of cleaning fluid from a nozzle
Implementation Method 2
The filter element is cleaned by passing a jet of cleaning fluid from a nozzle over the filter element
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for cleaning a filter (26) in a filter device (2), which comprises a filter housing (18) and the filter (26) located in the filter housing, the filter device (2) having a removable filtered-material collection chamber (24), into which filtered material (32) arising during the cleaning of the filter (26) is transferred. The invention also relates to a filter device (2), comprising a filter housing (18) and a filter (26) located in the filter housing, the filter device (2) having a removable filtered-material collection chamber (24), into which filtered material (32) arising during the cleaning of the filter (26) is transferred. According to the invention, in order to improve a method and a filter device of the type in question, in particular with respect to the filter cleaning while taking into consideration the usually high reactivity of the filtered material, a separable space (49) is provided upstream of the filtered-material collection chamber (24) in the transfer direction (g) of the filtered material (32), in which space the cleaned-off filtered material (32) is treated in order to reduce remaining reactivity.