Air knife for additive manufacturing

US11154935B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Bahubali S. Upadhye · Kanchinakote, IN
• Sumedh Acharya · Santa Clara, US
• Sandip S. Desai · Kanchinakote, IN
• David Masayuki Ishikawa · Mountain View, US
• Eric Ng · Mountain View, US
• Hou T. Ng · Campbell, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2019
• Grant date: Oct 26, 2021
• Expiry date: Jun 12, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B22F12/90
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser configured to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material on the platform, at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform, and an air knife supply unit. The air knife supply unit includes a tube having a plurality of holes spaced along a length of the tube, a multi-fluted helical screw positioned in the tube, a gas inlet configured to supply a gas into an end of the tube with the screw configured to guide the gas from the gas inlet through the tube and out the holes, and a spiral plenum surrounding the tube with the spiral plenum including an inner end to receive gas from the holes and an outer end to deliver the gas over the platform.