Air knife inlet and exhaust for additive manufacturing

US11413817B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Dakshalkumar Patel · Sayla, IN
• Girish Kumar Chaturvedi · Kanchinakote, IN
• Bahubali S. Upadhye · Kanchinakote, IN
• Sumedh Acharya · Santa Clara, US
• Mahendran Chidambaram · Saratoga, US
• Nilesh Chimanrao Bagul · Survanagiri, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 14, 2019
• Grant date: Aug 16, 2022
• Expiry date: Nov 14, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B33Y40/00
• 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 onto the platform, at least one energy source to selectively fuse feed material in a layer on the platform, and an air knife assembly. The air knife assembly includes an inlet unit to deliver gas over the platform and an exhaust unit to receive gas from over the platform. The inlet unit includes a multi-chamber plenum, a gas inlet, and a gas distribution module. The multi-chamber plenum has a plurality of vertically stacked chambers that are fluidically connected, with a first chamber of the plurality of vertically stacked chambers positioned at a higher elevation than a collection chamber of the plurality of vertically stacked chambers.