US 12,350,739 B2
Additive manufacturing apparatuses with separable process chamber housing portions and methods of use
Kristofer Karlsson, Kungsbacka (SE)
Assigned to Arcam AB, Mölndal (SE)
Filed by ARCAM AB, Mölndal (SE)
Filed on Dec. 12, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/712,619.
Prior Publication US 2021/0178473 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. B22F 10/00 (2021.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01); B22F 12/41 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/36 (2021.01); B22F 12/57 (2021.01)
CPC B22F 10/00 (2021.01) [B22F 12/226 (2021.01); B22F 12/38 (2021.01); B22F 12/41 (2021.01); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01); B22F 10/36 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/57 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of layers of a powder material, which parts correspond to successive cross-sections of the three-dimensional article, the additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a process chamber housing enclosing a process chamber, the process chamber housing comprising a first separable process chamber housing portion and a second separable process chamber housing portion, the first separable process chamber housing portion comprising a top of the process chamber housing and the second separable process chamber housing portion comprising a bottom of the process chamber housing, wherein the first separable process chamber housing portion meets the second separable process chamber housing portion at a junction that extends about an entire periphery of the process chamber housing in a closed configuration;
a powder storage vessel in the second separable process chamber housing portion and contained within the process chamber housing with the process chamber housing in the closed configuration; and
a rotatable support conveyor rotatably connected to the second separable process chamber housing portion, the rotatable support conveyor comprising a cavity structure that is configured to receive a bottom of the powder storage vessel;
wherein the process chamber housing has an open configuration where the first separable process chamber housing portion and the second separable process chamber housing portion are separated to provide an access spacing between the first separable process chamber housing portion and the second separable process chamber housing portion and around the entire periphery of the process chamber housing of a predetermined distance while remaining connected together thereby exposing the powder storage vessel between the first separable process chamber housing portion and the second separable process chamber housing portion;
wherein the first separable process chamber housing portion is located entirely above the powder storage vessel in the open configuration such that the powder storage vessel is removable from opposite sides of the cavity structure regardless of a rotational position of the rotatable support conveyor.