Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Esteve Comas

Alejandro Manuel De Pena

Fernando Juan

Pau Martin Vidal

Juan Manuel Valero Navazo

Sergi Culubret

Adrien Chiron

Ignacio Alejandre

Hou Tee Ng

Krzysztof Nauka

Howard S Tom

Anna Torrent

Gerard Mosquera

Lluis Hierro Domenech

Cristian Ferris

Arthur H Barnes

Joaquim Brugue Garvi

Miquel Boleda

Marcos Casaldaliga Albisu

Edward Dale Davis

Elena Laso Plaza

Gonzalo Gaston

Ferran Rafat Esquius

Pablo Dominguez Pastor

Emilio Carlos Cano

Sergio De Santiago Dominguez

Marina Ferran Farres

Pol Morral

David Chanclon

Jordi Gimenez Manent

Diego Javier Mostaccio

Marta Coma

Roger Bastardas

Ferran Esquius Berengueras

Sascha De Pena

Jose Gabriel Escabia

Diana Pilar Pascual

Chris Nauka

Marina Ferran Farras

In one example, an additive manufacturing system. An unsealed air supply enclosure for clean air is maintained at a first pressure above an ambient air pressure to inhibit unfiltered ambient air from leaking into the enclosure. An unsealed processing chamber is maintained at a second pressure below the ambient air pressure to inhibit processing chamber air from leaking out of the processing chamber. An air pathway is disposed between the air supply enclosure and the processing chamber to provide clean air from the air supply enclosure to the processing chamber.

Additive manufacturing system leak control

In example implementations, an apparatus includes a storage unit, an auger screw, a housing enclosing the auger screw and at least one heater coupled to the housing. The auger screw receives a build material from the storage unit and delivers the build material to a build platform via movement of the auger screw. The build material is heated by the at least one heater as the build material is being moved by the auger screw.

Heater for 3D printer auger screw

In one example, an apparatus for generating a three-dimensional object includes an energy source to apply energy to a layer of build material to cause a first portion of the layer to coalesce and solidify, an agent distributor to selectively deliver a cooling agent onto a second portion of the layer, and a controller to control the energy source to apply energy to the layer to cause the first portion to coalesce and solidify in a first pattern and to control the agent distributor to selectively deliver the cooling agent onto the second portion of the layer in a second pattern independent of the first pattern.

Generating three-dimensional objects

According to examples, a build module may include a housing, a build material chamber, and a build chamber. The build material chamber may be positioned beneath the build chamber in the housing and may include a moveable support member, in which a build material distributor is to supply successive layers of build material onto the moveable support member from the build material chamber. The build module may be removably insertable into a build receiver of an additive manufacturing system to allow the additive manufacturing system to solidify a portion of the successive layers received onto the moveable support member during the solidification process of the build material. The moveable support member may separate the build material chamber from the build chamber to block build material from the above the build material chamber from being received into the build material chamber during a solidification process of the build material.

According to one example there is provided a method for three-dimensional printing. The method comprises forming a pile of build material on a heatable plate adjacent a spreader, heating the pile of build material by contact with the heatable plate, and spreading the heated pile of build material on a support platform.

Heating build material

There is disclosed additive manufacturing apparatus (), (), () comprising: a heater (), () to direct radiant heat onto an irradiation region () of a build platform (), at least part of the heater (), () being moveable to cause the irradiation region () to traverse over the build platform (); a coating module () moveable relative the heater (), () to traverse the build platform () to apply a build material onto the build platform (); and a print module () moveable relative the heater (), () to traverse the build platform () to selectively eject a print agent onto the build material.

Additive manufacturing with traversing irradiation region

In an example, a method includes acquiring a thermal image of a reflector within an additive manufacturing apparatus through a screen. An energy profile of the thermal image of the reflector may be determined and, based on the energy profile, an operational characteristic of the screen may be determined.

Operational characteristics of screens in thermal imaging

In an example, an air filtration apparatus includes a cyclonic particle separation chamber having a first inlet to draw air from a first region, second inlet to draw air from a second region, and an exhaust port. The air filtration apparatus may further include a pressure sensor to sense a pressure of the first region, and a cyclonic air flow controller. The cyclonic air flow controller may control an air inflow received via the second inlet in response to an output from the pressure sensor to maintain a total air flow rate via the exhaust port.

Air flow rates in cyclonic particle separation chambers

In example implementations, an apparatus includes a storage unit, an auger screw, a housing enclosing the auger screw and at least one heater coupled to the housing. The augers screw receives a build material from the storage unit and delivers the build material to a build platform via movement of the auger screw. The build material is heated by the at least one heater as the build material is being moved by the auger screw.

A removable build module to connect to a host apparatus, may include a build platform to support an object-to-be-built, a drive unit to move the build platform, a memory to receive and store build parameters, and an interface circuit to communicate the build parameters to the host apparatus.

Removable 3D build module comprising a memory

A transport device () includes a first volume () to receive a build material and a second volume () to contain an object created by an additive manufacturing system (). The transport device () is receivable by a 3D printer () of the additive manufacturing system, and the 3D printer to build the object in the second volume. The transport device () is receivable by an extracting and supply device (). The extracting and supply device is to extract the object from the second volume and to supply the build material to the first volume.

Additive manufacturing transport devices

Examples of temperature measurement calibration in an additive manufacturing system are described. In one case, a method of calibrating a non-contact temperature measurement device involves applying energy from a radiation source of the additive manufacturing system to heat a reference element. The reference element is thermally coupled to a temperature sensor. A temperature reading from the temperature sensor is compared with data from the non-contact temperature measurement device to calibrate the device.

Temperature measurement calibration in an additive manufacturing system

In an example, a method includes forming a layer of build material and selectively applying fusing agent on to the layer based on a predetermined pattern. Energy may be applied to the layer of build material, and at least one temperature of the layer may be measured. A temperature distribution over the layer of build material may be determined, the temperature distribution indicating, for each of a plurality of locations on the layer of build material, whether fusing agent is present at that location. At least one characteristic derived from the temperature distribution may be compared to a predetermined characteristic. When the compared characteristics differ, an operational characteristic of an additive manufacturing apparatus may be adjusted.

Additive manufacturing apparatus and method with fusing agent presence determined by temperature measurement

An apparatus () for generating three dimensional objects comprises a first scanning carriage (). The first scanning carriage comprises a first energy source () to pre-heat an area of a build surface as the first scanning carriage () moves over the build surface.

Generating 3D objects

A build module is provided. The build module may include a housing and a build material chamber in the housing to hold build material. The build module may include a build chamber in the housing. The build material chamber may be beneath the build chamber or next to the build chamber. The build chamber may include a moveable support member to receive successive layers of the build material from a build material distributor. The build module may be removably insertable into a build receiver of an additive manufacturing system to allow the additive manufacturing system to solidify a portion the successive layers to be received onto the movable support member.

Growing community of inventors

Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain

Esteve Comas