POWDER APPLICATION DEVICE, METHOD FOR OPERATING A POWDER APPLICATION DEVICE, AND SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKPIECE

• Main Authors: FRANK, Ralf, KOERNER, Peter
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 22.09.2021
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CASTING; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A powder application device (10) for use in a system (100) for producing a three-dimensional workpiece using a generative layering process comprises a spreading member (12). The spreading member (12) is movable across a surface of a carrier (116) for depositing a raw material powder for producing a workpiece by a generative layering method onto the surface of the carrier (116). Furthermore, the powder application device (10) comprises a powder entrainer (16) which is movable across a carrier plane (E) and which, in the region of a surface (20) facing the carrier plane (E), is provided with a surface profile (22). The surface profile (20) comprises an entraining element (24a, 24b, 24c) and a passage channel (26a, 26b, 26c). The entraining element (24a, 24b, 24c) and the passage channel (26a, 26b, 26c) are shaped and arranged in such a way that, with respect to the movement of the powder entrainer (16) across the carrier plane (E), powdery material deposited in front of the powder entrainer (16) on the carrier plane (E) is entrained by the entraining element (24a, 24b, 24c) during a movement of the powder entrainer (16) across the carrier plane (E) in a first direction of movement (R1), and is guided through the passage channel (26a, 26b, 26c) during a movement of the powder entrainer (16) across the carrier plane (E) in a second direction of movement (R2) opposite to the first direction of movement (R1).