阅读说明：本技术 使用振动和气流的构建材料抽取 (Build material extraction using vibration and air flow ) 是由 J.施玛勒 R.L.温伯尔尼 T.A.莱格尼尔 M.杜达 J.M.罗曼 于 2017-07-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：在根据本公开的一个示例中,描述了一种增材制造平台。该增材制造平台包括振动床,一体积的构建材料待设置在该振动床上。该床将振动以移除过剩的构建材料,并且在构建材料抽取时段期间以至少两种抽取模式操作。该增材制造平台还包括非振动框架,以支撑该振动床。(In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, an additive manufacturing platform is described. The additive manufacturing platform includes a vibrating bed on which a volume of build material is to be disposed. The bed will vibrate to remove excess build material and operate in at least two extraction modes during a build material extraction period. The additive manufacturing platform also includes a non-vibrating frame to support the vibrating bed.)

1. An additive manufacturing platform comprising:

a vibrating bed on which a volume of build material is to be disposed, wherein the vibrating bed vibrates to remove excess build material to a chamber, the build material to be removed by a gas flow to a reservoir;

a non-vibrating frame supporting the vibrating bed.

2. The additive manufacturing platform of claim 1, wherein:

the vibrating bed operates in at least two extraction modes during a build material extraction period; and

the at least two extraction modes differ in vibration characteristics.

3. The additive manufacturing platform of claim 1, wherein:

the first decimation mode operates in a first vibration mode; and

the second decimation mode operates in a second vibration mode different from the first vibration mode.

4. The additive manufacturing platform of claim 3, wherein:

prior to operating in the second extraction mode, operating the vibratory bed in the first extraction mode to remove loose unused build material; and

after operating in the first extraction mode, the vibratory bed operates in the second extraction mode to remove agglomerated unused build material from the completed object.

5. The additive manufacturing platform of claim 1, wherein uncured build material is removed to a chamber by vibration of the vibrating bed and subsequently pumped to a reservoir using a vacuum system.

6. The additive manufacturing platform of claim 1, wherein the vibratory bed vibrates in a horizontal plane.

7. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:

a build material distributor that continuously deposits layers of build material into a build area;

at least one agent distributor including at least one liquid injection device to selectively distribute flux onto the layer of build material; and

a platform defining a build area, wherein the platform comprises:

a vibrating bed on which a volume of build material is to be disposed, wherein the vibrating bed vibrates to remove excess build material into a chamber; and

a non-vibrating frame supporting the vibrating bed;

a vacuum system that draws excess build material from the chamber to a reservoir; and

a controller that controls the extraction pattern during a build material extraction period.

8. The additive manufacturing system of claim 7, wherein the extraction pattern comprises at least two different extraction patterns that differ in at least one of:

a vibration frequency;

the intensity of the vibration;

a vibration duty cycle.

9. The additive manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the at least two different extraction modes are based on at least one of the build material and a selected extraction sensitivity.

10. The additive manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein:

the platform includes a wall extending from the platform; and

in addition to the platform, the wall vibrates to remove excess build material.

11. The additive manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the at least two extraction modes differ in gas flow rate.

12. A method, comprising:

setting extraction parameters for extraction of excess uncured build material, wherein the extraction parameters are based on a build file of the three-dimensional object, the object build material, and a desired extraction sensitivity; and

controlling a vibrating bed of an additive manufacturing platform according to the extraction parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the build file indicates an object height.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

acquiring the build file of the three-dimensional object;

receiving input indicative of the object build material and the desired extraction sensitivity; and

the vibrating bed and vacuum system are disabled based on the draw rate falling below a threshold.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the decimation parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

extracting a starting time;

extracting the length; and

vibration characteristics.

Background

An additive manufacturing device creates a three-dimensional (3D) object by building up layers of material. 3D printing devices and other additive manufacturing devices enable direct conversion of computer-aided design (CAD) models or other digital representations of objects into physical objects.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principles described herein and are a part of the specification. The illustrated examples are given for illustration only and do not limit the scope of the claims.

Fig. 1 is a simplified top view of an additive manufacturing system for build material extraction using vibration and gas flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an additive manufacturing platform for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for build material extraction using vibration and air flow according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a computing system for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale and the dimensions of some portions may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the figures also provide examples and/or embodiments consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.

Detailed Description

An additive manufacturing device manufactures a three-dimensional (3D) object by solidification of a layer of build material on a bed within the device. Additive manufacturing devices manufacture objects based on data in a 3D model of the object, for example, generated using a computer-aided drawing (CAD) computer program product. The model data is processed into slices, each slice defining a layer of build material to be solidified.

One specific example of an additive manufacturing process is a hot melt process. During the hot melt process of forming a 3D object, build material, which may be powder or powdered material, is deposited on the bed. A fusing agent is then dispensed onto the portion of the layer of build material to be fused to form the 3D object layer. The flux disposed in the desired pattern increases the absorption of the underlying layer of build material on which the agent is disposed. The build material is then exposed to energy, such as electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation may include infrared light or other suitable electromagnetic radiation. Those portions of the build material on which the flux is disposed are heated to a temperature above the fusion temperature of the build material due to the increased heat absorption properties imparted by the flux.

When energy is applied to the surface of the build material, the build material that has received the flux and thus has increased energy absorption characteristics heats up, melts, and fuses, while the portion of the build material that does not receive the flux remains in powder form. In contrast, the heat applied is not so great as to increase the heat of the portion of the build material without the flux to the fusing temperature. This process is repeated in a layer-by-layer manner to generate the 3D object. The unfused portion of the material may then be separated from the fused portion, and the unfused portion recycled for subsequent 3D printing operations.

While specific reference is made to a hot melt process with fused and unfused materials, the platforms, systems, and methods of the present description may also be implemented in a 3D printing system that prints chemical adhesives. Thus, unfused build material in a hot melt process may be one example of uncured material. Thus, in this specification and the appended claims, the term "uncured build material" may refer to excess build material, and unfused build material may be one example of such uncured build material.

Accordingly, the present specification describes improved systems and methods for separating an uncured object from a 3D printed object. In particular, the present specification describes a platform comprising a vibrating bed. The vibrating bed includes ports through which uncured build material falls into the chamber. In some examples, a vacuum system in the chamber then draws unused build material into the reservoir. In other words, the additive manufacturing platform of the present description relies on a combination of vibration for removing uncured build material from the build area into the chamber and a vacuum system for removing the uncured build material from the chamber to the reservoir.

The present specification also describes a control system that implements different build material extraction modes. For example, there may be at least different decimation patterns. During the first mode, immediately after the additive manufacturing process is complete, a lot of loose uncured build material may surround the 3D printed object. In this first mode, the vibrating bed may vibrate more gently to allow loose, uncured build material to pass through the port. After removing loose uncured build material, some uncured build material that is closer to the 3D printed object may adhere more tightly to the 3D printed object. Thus, during the second mode, the vibrating bed may vibrate more vigorously to remove such agglomerated (agglomerated) uncured build material.

In particular, this specification describes an additive manufacturing platform. The additive manufacturing platform includes a vibrating bed on which a volume of build material is to be disposed. The vibrating bed vibrates to remove excess build material to the chamber, which is removed to the reservoir by the gas flow. The additive manufacturing platform also includes a non-vibrating frame to support the vibrating bed. In some examples, the additive manufacturing platform or build unit is separate from an additive manufacturing device, for example a 3D printer. In other examples, the additive manufacturing platform is integrated with a 3D printer.

The present specification also describes an additive manufacturing system. The additive manufacturing system includes a build material dispenser to successively deposit layers of build material into a build area. At least one reagent dispenser of the system includes at least one liquid injection device to selectively dispense flux onto the layer of build material. The additive manufacturing system also includes a platform on which the build material is to be disposed. The platform includes a vibrating bed to remove excess build material into a chamber beneath the vibrating bed and a non-vibrating frame. The additive manufacturing system further comprises: a vacuum system that draws excess build material from the chamber to a reservoir; and a controller that executes different extraction patterns during the build material extraction period.

The present specification also describes a method. According to the method, a build file of a three-dimensional object is acquired, and input indicative of object build material and extraction sensitivity is received. Extraction parameters are then set based on the build file, the indicated object build material, and the indicated extraction sensitivity. The vibration bed of the additive manufacturing platform is then controlled according to the extraction parameters.

In summary, using such an additive manufacturing platform: 1) allowing for an efficient additive manufacturing process by reusing uncured build material; 2) increasing an amount of uncured build material recovered by a vibratory platform that directs uncured build material to a vacuum port; 3) delivering a 3D printed object, the 3D printed object completed with fewer post-processing operations; and 4) combining the airflow and vibration, which reduces the respective sizes compared to when each is used alone. However, it is contemplated that the devices disclosed herein may address other problems and deficiencies in many areas of technology.

Fig. 1 is a simplified top view of an additive manufacturing system (100) for build material extraction using vibration and gas flow, according to one example of principles described herein. In general, an apparatus for generating a three-dimensional object may be referred to as an additive manufacturing system (100). The system (100) described herein may correspond to a three-dimensional printing system, which may also be referred to as a three-dimensional printer. In an example of an additive manufacturing process, a layer of build material may be formed in a build region (104). As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "build region" refers to a region of space in which a 3D object is formed. The build region (104) may represent a space bounded by the platform (102) and the chamber walls.

Any number of functional agents may be deposited on the layer of build material during the additive manufacturing process. One such example is a flux that facilitates solidification of the powder build material. In this particular example, the fusing agent may be selectively distributed on the layer of build material in a pattern of three-dimensional object layers. The energy source may temporarily apply energy to the layer of build material. This energy may be selectively absorbed into patterned areas formed by the flux and not into blank areas without flux, which results in the powder build material and previously fused layers being selectively fused together. The process is then repeated until a complete solid object is formed. Thus, as used herein, a build layer may refer to a layer of build material formed in a build area (104) upon which a functional agent may be distributed and/or energy may be applied.

Additional layers may be formed and the above-described operations may be performed on each layer to thereby generate a three-dimensional object. Sequentially laminating and fusing portions of layers of build material on top of previous layers may facilitate the creation of a three-dimensional object. Layer-by-layer formation of a three-dimensional object may be referred to as a layered additive manufacturing process.

In examples described herein, the build material may include powder-based build material, particulate material, and/or granular material, wherein the powder-based build material may include wet and/or dry powder-based material. In some examples, the build material may be a weakly light absorbing polymer. In some examples, the build material may be a thermoplastic. Further, as described herein, the functional agent can include a liquid that can facilitate fusion of the build material when energy is applied. The fusing agent may be a light absorbing liquid, an infrared or near infrared absorbing liquid, such as a pigment colorant, and the like.

An additive manufacturing system (100) includes a build material distributor (106) to successively deposit layers of build material in a build region (104). The build material dispenser (106) may include a sliding blade, a roller, and/or a spray mechanism. A build material distributor (106) may be coupled to the scan carriage. In operation, a build material dispenser (106) places build material in a build area (104) as a scan carriage moves along a scan axis over the build area (104). Although fig. 1 depicts build material distributor (106) as being orthogonal to agent distributor (108), in some examples, build material distributor (106) may be in-line with agent distributor (108).

The additive manufacturing apparatus (100) comprises at least one agent distributor (108). The agent distributor (108) comprises at least one liquid injection device (110-1, 110-2) to distribute a functional agent onto the layer of build material.

One specific example of a functional agent is a flux, which increases the energy absorption of the flux-receiving portion of the build material. The liquid-ejection device (110) may include at least one printhead (e.g., a thermal-ejection-based printhead, a piezoelectric-ejection-based printhead, etc.). In some examples, an agent distributor (106) is coupled to the scanning carriage, and the scanning carriage moves along a scanning axis over the build region (104). In one example, a printhead used in an inkjet printing device may be used as an agent dispenser (108). In this example, the fusing agent may be an ink-type formulation. In other examples, the reagent dispenser (108) may include other types of liquid-ejection devices (110) that selectively eject small amounts of liquid.

The agent distributor (108) includes at least one liquid-ejection device (110) having a plurality of liquid-ejection dies arranged generally end-to-end along a width of the agent distributor (108). In such an example, the width of the agent distributor (108) corresponds to a certain size of the build area (104). An agent dispenser (104) selectively dispenses agent on a build layer in a build area (104) concurrently with movement of the scanning carriage over the build area (104). In some example apparatus, the reagent dispenser (108) includes a nozzle (112-1, 112-2) through which the flux is selectively ejected (112-1, 112-2).

The additive manufacturing apparatus (100) also includes at least one heater (114) to selectively fuse portions of the build material to form the object by applying heat to the build material. The heater (114) may be any component that applies thermal energy. Examples of heaters (114) include infrared lamps, visible halogen lamps, resistive heaters, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and lasers. As described above, the build material may comprise a fusible build material that fuses together once a fusing temperature is reached. Accordingly, the heater (114) may apply thermal energy to the build material to heat portions of the build material above the fusion temperature. Those portions that are heated above the fusing temperature have a fusing agent disposed thereon and are formed in the pattern of the 3D object to be printed. The flux increases the absorptivity of the portion of the build material. Thus, the heater (114) may apply an amount of energy such that those portions having increased absorptivity reach temperatures above the fusion temperature, while those portions not having increased absorptivity do not reach temperatures above the fusion temperature. Although specific reference is made to deposition of a fusing agent, the additive manufacturing apparatus (100) as described herein may apply a variety of other functional agents.

A platform (102) of an additive manufacturing system (100) includes several components to remove unfused build material from a build area (104) after an additive manufacturing operation. Specifically, the platform (102) includes a vibrating bed that holds a volume of build material. After the 3D object is formed, a vibration source vibrates the bed to remove excess unfused build material. In some examples, the walls of the platform may also vibrate in addition to the base of the platform to remove excess unfused build material. The platform (102) also includes ports through which excess build material drops to the underlying chamber. During a build material extraction period, a vacuum system uses a gas flow to draw unfused build material from the chamber to a reservoir. That is, unfused build material can be recycled.

The platform (102) also includes a non-vibrating frame. The non-vibrating frame supports the vibrating bed. On this non-vibrating frame there are various components, for example, lifting devices that raise and lower the bed as successive layers of build material are added during the additive manufacturing process. That is, the platform (102) may move in a vertical direction as successive layers of build material are deposited into the build area (104).

It may be desirable to prevent vibrations caused by the vibration source from being transmitted to the non-vibrating frame and to ensure that the vibrating bed is centered relative to the non-vibrating frame. Thus, the platform (102) includes interface means for coupling the vibrating bed to other non-vibrating components while isolating the vibration from the vibrating bed.

The additive manufacturing system (100) also includes a controller (116). The controller (116) performs at least two different extraction modes during a build material extraction period. The modes may be defined by vibration characteristics and/or airflow. For example, the extraction patterns may differ in at least one of vibration frequency, vibration intensity, vibration duty cycle (vibration duty cycle), and vacuum airflow. For example, during the first mode, the vibration frequency may be a first value, and during the second mode, the vibration frequency may be a second value that is greater than the first value. Similarly, the vibration intensity and/or the vibration duty cycle may be a first value in the first mode and may be a second value greater than the first value during the second mode. Although specific reference is made to these characteristics being greater in the second mode than in the first mode, any and each of them may be greater in the first mode than in the second mode. Other examples of characteristics that may be changed by the controller (116) include the timing of the decimation patterns and the length of time of each decimation pattern.

In some examples, different extraction patterns may be based on build material. For example, a user may enter a type of material prior to printing or extraction of uncured build material. The characteristics of at least one of the extraction patterns, and in some cases all of the extraction patterns, are set based on the type of material that is input. For example, if a PA-12 nylon material with a very loose but significant amount of powder is used, the first and second extraction patterns may be relatively gentle, and the first extraction pattern may have a longer duration. In contrast, for elastomer-based materials, more intense first and second extraction modes may be used; more strongly means a greater vibration frequency and/or vibration amplitude. Using a build material attribute-based extraction pattern simplifies the extraction operation because the user does not need to enter specific extraction features, but instead can simply select a build material having preselected extraction characteristics.

In some examples, the at least two different decimation modes are based on a selected decimation sensitivity (extraction sensitivity). The decimation sensitivity may be based on the size or dimensions of the 3D printed object. For example, larger components having coarser dimensions may be able to handle more severe vibrations than smaller components having smaller cross-sectional areas. The sensitivity may also be based on time requirements. For example, if a fast draw is desired, a more aggressive and less sensitive draw setting may be selected than a more sensitive draw setting where fast draw is not an issue. Similar to the case of the build material, the sensitivity may be input by a user, and the characteristics of one or all of the extraction modes, i.e., vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and/or timing, may be selected based on the user input.

According to the present system (100), more efficient extraction of uncured build material is facilitated due to a combination of vibration and air flow. Moreover, by allowing the controller (116) to adjust the extraction characteristics based on the build material and the selected extraction sensitivity, a customized extraction strategy is achieved. The extraction process is also enhanced by performing multiple extraction modes based on the extraction stage.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform (102) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. Specifically, fig. 2 depicts a vibrating bed (220) that partially defines a build area (fig. 1, 104) where additive manufacturing occurs.

During additive manufacturing, build material is placed on a vibrating bed (220). During additive manufacturing, the vibrating bed (220) does not vibrate. The vibrating bed (220) travels downward as successive layers form on the vibrating bed (220). Once the entire 3D object is formed, the uncured build material is separated from the 3D object. The uncured build material may be returned to the reservoir and used in subsequent operations. Thus, the bed (220) includes several ports (224) through which uncured build material falls into the chamber. In some examples, uncured build material is drawn through the port (224) by a gas flow when the vacuum system is engaged. For simplicity, a single port (224) is indicated with a reference numeral. The vibrating bed (22) operates to move uncured build material around on the bed (220) so that it falls through the port (224) to the reservoir. During the build operation, the vibrating bed does not vibrate and the vacuum system is not engaged.

After the additive manufacturing process is complete, the vibrating bed (220) is activated such that it vibrates in a horizontal plane, as defined by arrows (226, 228). Such vibration moves build material around the bed (220) such that it is drawn into the port (224) to fall into the chamber and from there to the reservoir. In some examples, the vibrating bed (220) may vibrate in a vertical direction, as indicated by arrows (229), in addition to vibrating in a horizontal plane.

However, not all components of the platform (102) are intended to vibrate. That is, the bed (220) may vibrate, but for other components, it may be desirable that they do not vibrate. For example, outside the vibrating bed (220) there may be other mechanical devices disposed on the non-vibrating frame (222), such as bearings, screws, motors, electrical connections, etc., which may be damaged by the vibrations. Thus, the present specification describes a platform (102) that (1) facilitates vibration of the bed (220) while preventing vibration of other components. Such a platform (102) comprises engagement means for allowing such relative movement.

An additive manufacturing platform (102) as described herein allows uncured build material to be easily separated from build material that has been formed as part of a 3D object. The coupling device described herein isolates any vibrations to a vibrating bed (220) and prevents these vibrations from reaching a non-vibrating frame (222).

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an additive manufacturing platform (102) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. As described above, the additive manufacturing platform (102) includes a vibrating bed (220) that vibrates after additive manufacturing to remove excess uncured build material from the building material area (fig. 1, 104) to the cavity (318). A vacuum system (319) draws uncured build material from the chamber (318) to a reservoir to be held for subsequent additive manufacturing operations.

Returning to the vibrating bed (220), the vibrating bed (220) may be vibrated by a number of vibration sources. For example, an eccentric or asymmetric mass may be coupled to the vibrating bed (220) such that rotation of the asymmetric mass causes the vibrating bed to vibrate in a horizontal plane. In another example, an eccentric shaft may be used to vibrate the vibrating bed (220) in a horizontal plane. In yet another example, an electromagnetic device, such as a voice coil, may be used to vibrate the vibration bed (220). In some examples, the vibrating bed (220) may vibrate in a vertical direction, as indicated by arrows (229), in addition to vibrating in a horizontal plane. As described above, the vibrating bed (220) is coupled to the non-vibrating frame (222) supporting it by the interface (330) that isolates the vibration from the vibrating bed (220).

The additive manufacturing platform (102) also includes a non-vibrating frame (222). The non-vibrating frame (222) supports a vibrating bed (220) and other components found within the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100). For example, during additive manufacturing, the vibrating bed (220) may be lowered so that additional layers of build material may be deposited and fused. A non-vibrating frame (222) may support a lift mechanism that facilitates the raising and lowering.

Fig. 3 also clearly depicts the removal of uncured build material to chamber (318) through ports (224-1, 224-2) and the removal of uncured build material from chamber (318) to storage through vacuum system (319). That is, in some examples, the vacuum system (319) is coupled to the vibrating bed (220). As the vibrating bed (220) vibrates, powder is drawn into the chamber (318) through the ports (224-1, 224-2). During extraction, a vacuum system (319) is engaged to draw uncured build material to the reservoir.

In some examples, the platform (102) operates in two different extraction modes during a build material extraction period. During these two different modes, the air flow or suction provided by the vacuum system (319) may remain constant. That is, a certain airflow rate may be maintained across various modes of build material extraction periods. In other examples, the airflow rate varies between different extraction modes.

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform (102) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. Specifically, fig. 4 depicts the additive manufacturing platform (102) during a first, less intense extraction mode. As mentioned above, the vibrating bed (220) vibrates differently during different extraction modes, the differences being related to the vibration frequency, the vibration intensity and/or the vibration duty cycle. That is, the vibration may occur more frequently, may move a greater distance in the direction shown by the arrows (226, 228, 229), or operate for a longer period of time relative to the extraction period. In some examples, the first decimation pattern may be defined by lower frequencies and/or lower intensity of vibration. The vibrating bed (220) may be in this relaxed extraction mode or first extraction mode prior to the more aggressive extraction mode or second extraction mode.

After additive manufacturing, a block or "cake" of build material (432) is placed on the vibrating bed (220). A portion of the block corresponds to the build material that has been fused by the flux, and other portions of the block correspond to unfused build material. Thus, the block includes a quantity of loose, unfused build material. Many of the blocks may move far enough away from the fused build material that they do not adhere to the part and can be removed relatively easily. That is, lower frequencies and/or lower intensities of vibration may be used to remove loose build material.

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of an additive manufacturing platform (102) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. Fig. 5 depicts the additive manufacturing platform (102) during a second, stronger extraction mode. After the first, less intense extraction mode, when loose uncured build material has been removed, some of the uncured build material may be thermally affected by its proximity to the 3D printed object. That is, build material that is near a boundary of the 3D printed object may temporarily stick to the 3D printed object. In FIG. 5, the forms (534-1, 54-2) include a 3D printed object and a heat affected build material temporarily adhered to the 3D printed object. To separate these agglomerations from the 3D printed object and break them up into sizes that may fall through port (224) or be drawn through port (224), more intense vibration may be desired. Thus, during the second and stronger extraction mode, the vibration frequency and/or vibration strength may be increased to increase the removal rate of uncured build material.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method (600) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. By way of general illustration, the method (600) may be described below as being performed or carried out by at least one device, such as a controller (fig. 1, 116). Other suitable systems and/or computing devices may also be used. The method (600) may be implemented in the form of executable instructions stored on at least one machine-readable storage medium of at least one of the devices and executed by at least one processor of a controller (fig. 1, 116). Alternatively or additionally, the method (600) may be implemented in the form of electronic circuitry (e.g., hardware). While fig. 6 depicts the operations occurring in a particular order, several of the operations of the method (600) may be performed simultaneously or in a different order than shown in fig. 6. In some examples, the method (600) may include more or fewer operations than those shown in fig. 6. In some examples, several operations of the method (600) may be performed at particular times and/or may be repeated.

According to the method, extraction parameters are set (block 601) that are to be used during extraction of excess uncured build material. In some examples, these extraction parameters are set (block 601) by user input.

In another example, they are provided by a computing device coupled to the additive manufacturing platform (fig. 1, 102). For example, a build file for a 3D object is acquired. As described above, an additive manufacturing apparatus manufactures an object based on data in a 3D model of the object generated, for example, using a Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) computer program product. The data defining the 3D object is called a build file. The build file may include a wide variety of information about the 3D object. For example, the build file may include dimensional data for the 3D object including, but not limited to, height, width, cross-sectional area, and the like. The build file may be obtained via an electrical connection to a computing device. In another example, the build file may be placed on a remote storage device that is inserted into the controller (fig. 1, 116) or otherwise coupled to the controller (fig. 1, 116).

Inputs regarding object build material and extraction sensitivity are also received. Examples of decimation sensitivity may include soft and fast. In particular, the information may be input by a user to a computing device coupled to the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100) or a user interface disposed on the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100).

Based on the build file, the indicated object build material, and the indicated extraction sensitivity, the computing device may set extraction parameters. For example, as described above, parameters such as the extraction start time, the extraction length, the vibration characteristics, which may include setting the vibration frequency, the vibration intensity, and/or the vibration duty cycle, and the airflow rate may be set. Parameters may be set (block 603) for various decimation modes. For example, a parameter may be set (block 603) for a first, less intense decimation mode, and a parameter may be set (block 603) for a second, more intense decimation mode.

As described above, different build materials may determine different extraction parameters. For example, the PA-12 build material may determine a longer and softer first extraction pattern due to the amount of loose build material. In contrast, the elastomeric build material may determine more aggressive first and second extraction patterns when compared to the extraction pattern used for the PA-12 build material.

Further, the decimation parameters may be determined by the desired decimation sensitivity. For example, if a component is larger and has a thicker cross-sectional area, lower sensitivity and faster extraction may be desired as compared to a smaller 3D component having a thinner cross-sectional area.

Further, the characteristics of the extraction, particularly the length of the extraction, may be determined by the build file. For example, the build file may determine the object height. Based on the height, the total length of extraction can be determined. That is, as the amount of uncured build material increases, taller 3D objects may utilize more extraction time than shorter objects.

The bed (fig. 2, 220) is then vibrated and in some cases the vacuum system (fig. 1, 116) is controlled based on the extraction parameters (block 604). That is, the vibration bed (fig. 2, 220) is set to operate at a particular frequency and intensity for a particular amount of time during each extraction mode, according to parameters based on the build file, the input object build material, and the desired sensitivity settings.

Setting (block 603) the extraction parameters based on the simple input information and the build file, and then controlling (block 604) the components of the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100) based on those parameters simplifies the user experience during additive manufacturing. That is, the user may not have to input specific decimation pattern characteristics, which may be technically involved and complicated. Furthermore, by operating the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100) based on material properties and other criteria, the efficiency and quality of uncured build material extraction is improved.

In some examples, the method (600) further includes deactivating or otherwise adjusting the vibration bed (fig. 2, 220) and the vacuum system (fig. 3, 319) based on the extraction rate falling below the threshold. That is, the additive manufacturing system (fig. 1, 100) may include a component that measures the amount of build material that has been removed or the rate at which the build material is removed. From this information, the ratio of build materials can be determined. If the ratio of build material falls below a predetermined threshold, the controller (116, FIG. 1) may deactivate the vibration bed (220, FIG. 2) and the vacuum system (319, FIG. 3). Doing so increases the efficiency of the operation of the vibrating bed (fig. 2, 220) and vacuum system (fig. 3, 319) because they do not operate outside of the time required. It also simplifies the user experience because the user does not have to manually stop build material extraction. In another example, if it is determined that excess material is being removed, overwhelming the vacuum system (fig. 3, 319) or other components, the vibration and airflow may be adjusted accordingly.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a controller (116) for build material extraction using vibration and air flow, according to one example of principles described herein. To achieve its desired functionality, the controller (116) includes various hardware components. In particular, the controller (116) includes a processor (736) and a machine-readable storage medium (738). The machine-readable storage medium (738) is communicatively coupled to the processor (736). The machine-readable storage medium (738) includes several sets of instructions (740, 742, 744, 746) for performing the specified functions. The machine-readable storage medium (738) causes the processor (736) to perform the specified functions of the instruction sets (740, 742, 744, 746).

Although the following description refers to a single processor (736) and a single machine-readable storage medium (738), the description may also apply to a controller (116) having multiple processors and multiple machine-readable storage media. In such examples, the set of instructions (740, 742, 744, 746) may be distributed (e.g., stored) across multiple machine-readable storage media and the instructions may be distributed (e.g., executed by) across multiple processors.

The processor (736) may include at least one processor and other resources for processing programming instructions. For example, the processor (736) may be a number of Central Processing Units (CPUs), microprocessors, and/or other hardware devices suitable for retrieving and executing instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium (738). In the controller (116) depicted in fig. 7, the processor (736) may fetch, decode, and execute instructions (740, 742, 744, 746) for build material extraction using an extraction mode. In one example, the processor (736) may comprise a number of electronic circuits including a number of electronic components for performing the functions of a number of instructions in a machine-readable storage medium (738). With respect to executable instructions, representations (e.g., blocks) described and illustrated herein, it should be understood that some or all of the executable instructions and/or electronic circuitry included within a block may, in alternative examples, be included in different blocks shown in the figures or in different blocks not shown.

Machine-readable storage medium (738) generally represents any memory capable of storing data, such as programming instructions or data structures used by controller (116). The machine-readable storage medium (738) includes the following machine-readable storage media: which contains machine readable program code to cause tasks to be performed by a processor (736). The machine-readable storage medium (738) may be a tangible and/or non-transitory storage medium. The machine-readable storage medium (738) may be any suitable storage medium that is not a transmission storage medium. For example, the machine-readable storage medium (738) may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions. Thus, the machine-readable storage medium (738) may be, for example, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a storage drive, an optical disk, and so forth. The machine-readable storage medium (738) may be disposed within the controller (116), as shown in fig. 7. In this case, the executable instructions may be "installed" on the controller (116). In one example, the machine-readable storage medium (738) may be, for example, a portable, external, or remote storage medium that allows the controller (116) to download instructions from the portable/external/remote storage medium. In this case, the executable instructions may be part of an "installation package". As described herein, the machine-readable storage medium (738) may be encoded with executable instructions for detecting a failed component in a device.

Referring to FIG. 7, the build file instructions (740), when executed by the processor (736), may cause the controller (116) to obtain a build file for a three-dimensional object. When executed by the processor (736), the input instructions (742) may cause the controller (116) to receive input indicative of object build material and extraction sensitivity. When executed by the processor (736), the parameter instructions (744) may cause the controller (116) to set extraction parameters based on the build file, the indicated object build material, and the indicated extraction sensitivity. When executed by the processor (736), the control instructions (746) may cause the controller (116) to control the vibration bed (220, fig. 2) and/or the vacuum system (319, fig. 3) of the additive manufacturing platform (102, fig. 1) according to the extraction parameters.

In some examples, the processor (736) and the machine-readable storage medium (738) are located within the same physical component, e.g., a server or network component. The machine-readable storage medium (738) may be part of the main memory of the physical component, a cache, a register, a non-volatile memory, or other location in the memory hierarchy of the physical component. In one example, the machine-readable storage medium (738) may be in communication with the processor (736) over a network. Thus, the controller (116) may be implemented on a user device, a server, a collection of servers, or a combination thereof.

The controller (116) of fig. 4 may be part of a general purpose computer. However, in some examples, the controller (116) is part of an application specific integrated circuit.

In summary, using such an additive manufacturing platform: 1) allowing for an efficient additive manufacturing process by reusing uncured build material; 2) increasing an amount of uncured build material recovered by a vibratory platform that directs uncured build material to a vacuum port; 3) delivering a 3D printed object, the 3D printed object completed with fewer post-processing operations; and 4) combining the airflow and vibration, which reduces the respective sizes compared to when each is used alone. However, it is contemplated that the devices disclosed herein may address other problems and deficiencies in many areas of technology.

The foregoing description has been presented to illustrate and describe examples of the principles described. This description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.