Hermetic Powder Handling for Additive Manufacturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Operators handling additive manufacturing systems face health risks and quality defects due to metallic powder infiltration and contamination during manual handling and storage, leading to environmental exposure.
Innovation Solution
A hermetically sealable powder handling system with a movable powder storage container, vacuum pump, and sieving device, which selectively feeds and removes powder within a closed loop, preventing ambient air exposure and enabling powder recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling and storage of metallic powder is performed, then powder can be fed into the additive manufacturing machine, but powder particles infiltrate ambient air causing health risks and quality defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a hermetically sealed powder handling system that creates a closed environment isolating metallic powder from ambient air. The system includes sealed containers, sealed transfer mechanisms, and sealed building chambers that prevent powder particles from escaping into the environment and prevent ambient air from contaminating the powder, thereby eliminating health risks and quality defects associated with manual powder handling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sealed transfer mechanisms as intermediaries to move powder between storage containers and the building chamber without direct manual handling. These intermediaries include sealed conveyors, sealed pneumatic systems, or sealed gravity feed mechanisms that maintain the closed environment throughout the powder transfer process, preventing both powder escape and air infiltration
2Reliability
If hermetically sealed powder handling system is implemented, then powder contamination is prevented, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the powder handling system into separate sealed modules including powder storage containers, transfer mechanisms, and building chambers. Each module can be independently sealed, maintained, and replaced, which reduces the overall complexity of the sealed system while maintaining reliable powder protection throughout the handling process
3Loss of substance
If powder is recycled from used powder, then material efficiency improves, but oversized material and contaminants accumulate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a powder recycling system with integrated sieving mechanisms that separate usable powder from oversized particles and contaminants. The system recovers and reuses fine powder particles while discarding oversized material, thereby improving material efficiency while maintaining powder quality consistency through automatic separation and filtration processes
4Ease of operation
If movable powder storage container is used, then powder replenishment is simplified, but sealing reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs movable powder storage containers with pre-integrated sealed coupling mechanisms that maintain hermetic integrity during the replenishment process. The containers are pre-sealed and connect to the system through sealed interfaces, allowing easy replacement and replenishment while preserving seal reliability through purpose-designed coupling and disengagement mechanisms
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
Prevents health risks and quality defects by maintaining a powder-tight environment, ensuring operator safety and maintaining powder quality, while allowing for efficient recycling of used powder.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump designed to be selectively connected to said first powder conveyor pipe or said second powder conveyor pipe
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing system (1) comprising at least one powder based additive manufacturing machine (2) having a build chamber (3), at least one stationary powder storage container (4), and a powder feeding device (6) for feeding powder from the at least one powder storage container (4) into the build chamber (3), characterized in that said build chamber (3), said stationary powder storage container (4) and said powder feeding device (6) form a part of a powder handling system, which is hermetically sealable in a powder-tight manner and to which a movable powder storage container (31) can be connected, said powder handling system being designed to selectively feed powder from the movable powder storage container (31) to the stationary powder storage container (4) or to remove powder from the build chamber (3) in the hermetically sealed state. Moreover, the present invention relates to a Method for feeding powder into and removing powder from a build chamber (3) of at least one additive manufacturing machine (2), characterized in that the feeding and the removal of the powder takes place within a hermetically sealable powder handling system.