US 11,667,082 B2
Apparatus and method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object
Georg Fey, Munich (DE); Martin Heugel, Landsberg am Lech (DE); Sebastian Friedel, Munich (DE); Dominik Wolf, Munich (DE); Alexander Schilling, Wildpoldsried (DE); and Philip Ströbel, Weidenbach (DE)
Assigned to EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, Krailling (DE)
Appl. No. 16/73,878
Filed by EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, Krailling (DE)
PCT Filed Jan. 31, 2017, PCT No. PCT/EP2017/052016
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 30, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/134044, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 10, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 102016201812.4 (DE), filed on Feb. 5, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0039313 A1, Feb. 7, 2019
Int. Cl. B29C 64/371 (2017.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B29C 64/20 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/77 (2021.01); B22F 12/67 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/322 (2021.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01)
CPC B29C 64/371 (2017.08) [B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/322 (2021.01); B22F 10/77 (2021.01); B22F 12/67 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B29C 64/20 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); Y02P 10/25 (2015.11)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by a layer-by-layer solidification of a building material at points corresponding to the cross-section of the object to be manufactured in a respective layer, comprising:
a process chamber in which the object is built up layer-by-layer in a build process by selectively solidifying layers of the building material in a build area, wherein the process chamber is closed to ambient air when in use;
a gas supply device including a gas supply valve that is operable over a range of gas flow supply;
a recirculating gas circuit including a process chamber outlet for gas contained within the process chamber, a process chamber inlet to the process chamber for a recirculated gas return to the process chamber, a recirculating filter device that filters gas drawn from the process chamber, a recirculating gas valve that is operable over a range of gas flow rates, a recirculating gas pump, and conduit elements communicating gas from the process chamber outlet through the recirculating filter device and back into the process chamber through the process chamber inlet; and
a process chamber pressure stabilization device that is operated to maintain process chamber pressure in the process chamber at a set level throughout the entire build process,
wherein the controller operates the gas supply valve and the recirculating gas valve to balance the gas supply and the recirculating gas to vary the process chamber pressure after a cleaning of the recirculating filter device while the recirculating filter device is connected to the recirculating gas circuit such that the process chamber pressure returns to the set level, wherein the process chamber pressure stabilization device varies the process chamber pressure such that it returns to the set level within 10 seconds after the cleaning of the recirculating filter device.