Retractable Air Knife for Additive Manufacturing Spatter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In additive manufacturing, air knives face challenges in efficiently removing spatter and contaminants from the build platform due to non-uniform air flow and occupy valuable space, which can lead to undesirable inclusions and contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
An air knife system with a retractable telescopic scissor assembly and a blower that supplies gas uniformly across the build platform, allowing the air knife to move smoothly and retract into a sealed compartment, ensuring efficient spatter removal and reducing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the air knife is positioned close to the build platform for effective spatter removal, then spatter mitigation improves, but the air flow becomes non-uniform causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The air knife assembly is oriented perpendicular to the build platform surface, changing the traditional parallel orientation. This vertical positioning allows the air knife to extend across the entire platform width while maintaining uniform distance from the surface, achieving both effective spatter removal and uniform air flow distribution simultaneously
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the air knife assembly is made large to cover the entire build platform, then spatter removal coverage improves, but the space occupied on the platform increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air knife assembly is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be retracted when not in use and positioned only when needed for spatter removal. This dynamic positioning eliminates permanent space occupation while maintaining full platform coverage during the additive manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The air knife assembly is extracted from the platform surface as a separate movable component rather than being integrated into the platform structure. This allows the platform to maintain its full working area while the air knife can be deployed overhead when needed for spatter mitigation
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 system achieves uniform air flow for effective spatter mitigation and reduces the risk of contamination by retracting the air knife, allowing for larger platform usage and improved part quality.
Implementation Method 1
air knife system with a retractable telescopic scissor assembly and a blower that supplies gas uniformly across the build platform
Implementation Method 2
retractable telescopic scissor assembly having a first pair of arms each having a first end rotatably coupled to a stationary portion of the additive manufacturing apparatus and a second pair of arms each having a second end rotatably coupled to the air knife unit
Data Source
AI summary
An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an environmentally sealed first chamber, a second chamber separated from the first chamber by a first valve, a platform positionable in the first chamber, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material onto the platform in the first chamber, at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform in the first chamber, and an air knife assembly to direct a laminar flow of air across a layer of feed material on the platform in the first chamber. The air knife assembly includes an inlet module and an exhaust module that are movable through the first valve between the first chamber and the second chamber.