Surface equalization apparatus

• Main Author: Daniel Joshua Hutchinson
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.06.2022
• 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; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of smoothing a surface of a 3D printed part using an apparatus that has a tank 16 supported in the apparatus by one or more springs 20 located at a top portion of the tank, a motor 14 connected to a bottom portion of the tank at an angle offset from a vertical centre line of the tank, and guide ribs located in and extending along an inside bottom surface of the tank, the method comprising filling the tank with a media comprising solid abrasive particles, placing the 3D printed part in the media in the tank, and operating the motor to impart a vibratory motion to the tank to cause the media to move in a generally circular path, wherein the guide ribs prevent the 3D printed part from contacting an inside surface of the tank, whereby the surface of the 3D printed part is smoothed by abrasion with the media.