Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Ismael Chanclon Fernandez

Xavier Alonso Becerro

Ernesto Alejandro Jones Poppescou

Justin M Roman

Daniel Gonzalez Perello

Salvador Sanchez Ribes

Luis Garcia Garcia

Joseba Ormaechea Saracibar

Jorge Castano Aspas

Carmen Blasco

Xavier Miguel Royo

Vicente Granados Asensio

Andreu Oliver

Emilio Lopez Matos

Ruben Prats Gonzalez

Scott A White

Eduardo Martin Orue

Samuel A Stodder

Marc Morros

Glenn Thomas Haddick

David Chanclon Fernandez

Josep Ortiz Mompel

Jordi Gimenez

Felix Ruiz Martinez

Nicola Cofelice

David Soriano Fosas

Sam A Stodder

Jaime Cabanes

Xavier Alonso Beccerro

In an example, a data unit includes a mounting to removably mount the data unit on a receiving portion of an additive manufacturing build material container, a data source to provide data comprising a plurality of additive manufacturing parameters and a communications interface to communicate with a reader of an additive manufacturing build material processing apparatus. The communications interface is to transmit data from the data source to the additive manufacturing build material processing apparatus.

Data units for additive manufacturing

A build material management system for a 3D printing system is described in which one or more input ports of a housing of the build material management system is to connect to one or more respective transportable containers. The transportable containers contain a volume of build material comprising 3D printed parts and a portion of non-fused build material. A pump also comprised within the housing is operable to provide a pressure differential across a conduit network of the build material management system. The pump is connected to the input port(s) by the conduit network. An air-flow caused through at least one of the one or more input ports is controlled by processing circuitry also comprised within the housing. The air-flow causes cooling within the respective transportable container. In one alternative, the housing comprises at least two input ports. In all other alternatives, a filling port for filling the or a further transportable container with at least a portion of fresh build material for use in a subsequent 3D printing operation is not comprised within the housing.

Cooling of build material in 3D printing system

A method of three-dimensional (3D) printing is provided. Print data is received, which defines patterns of at least one agent to be applied to a layer of build material. The print data is modified to add a further pattern of a detailing agent to be selectively applied to the layer of build material to generate fracture regions in a processed volume of build material.

Three dimensional (3D) printing using fusing and detailing agents

In an example, a data unit includes a data unit mounting having a circuitry region, a registration portion, and a retaining feature. Circuitry comprising a data source to provide at least one additive manufacturing parameter is arranged on the circuitry region of the mounting. The data unit mounting is to be removably mounted on a receiving portion of an additive manufacturing build material component, such that the registration portion is to be received in a corresponding guide portion of the receiving portion of the additive manufacturing build material component, and the retaining feature is prevent removal of the data unit from the receiving portion unless deformed. Deformation of the retaining feature to effect removal of the data unit from the receiving portion may be a permanent deformation.

Data units for build material identification in additive manufacturing

An additive-manufacturing build-material container comprises a reservoir to hold build material, a build-material outlet structure to allow build material to exit the reservoir through an outlet opening in a top portion of the reservoir, a longitudinal collection unit () to collect build material from the bottom and guide the build material to the outlet opening at the top, and bottom-venting structure to admit vent gas into a bottom portion of the reservoir. The bottom-venting structure may include a vent tube to admit venting gas into the bottom portion of the reservoir. A concentric collection tube structure may be employed including the longitudinal collection tube nested within a vent tube (A,A). The concentric collection tube structure may be mounted along the central axis of the reservoir.

Build material container, and collection tube structure

A build material management apparatus for a three dimensional printing system is provided having a plurality of conduits to connect to a respective plurality of ports of at least one build material container. Processing circuitry is provided to control coupling of a 5 pump interface to the plurality of conduits to independently set, for at least two of the plurality of conduits, a given air flow parameter for cooling build material in the at least one build material container. A build material container and machine executable instructions are also provided.

Cooling of build material in three dimensional printing system

There are disclosed methods and apparatuses for 3D printing post-processing. The methods and apparatuses provide a container for an additive manufacturing system, the container for receiving a build volume of fused and unfused build material. The container comprises a connector for connecting the container to a pressure source, and at least one air hole to allow passage of air into or out of the container. When the connector is connected to the pressure source, air flows through the container between the connector and the at least one air hole so as to remove unfused build material from the container and to help cool the volume of build material.

Post-processing in 3D printing systems using a separate material management apparatus

Examples of an inlet to enable a forced air flow to enter a build material container in a 3D additive manufacturing system are described. In one case, the inlet has a structure having an inner face and an outer face forming at least one aperture through the structure through which forced air flows in use. The inlet has a longitudinal axis and the inner face and outer face are non-aligned along at least one axis which passes through each of inner face and the outer face and is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

Inlet for build material container

An additive-manufacturing build-material container () comprises a reservoir to hold build material, an outlet opening in a top portion of the reservoir, an outlet tube structure including a longitudinal collection unit to collect build material from the bottom and guide the build material to the outlet opening at the top, upon application of a suction force at the other end thereof, and to guide the collected build material to the outlet opening at the top; and a vent opening in a top portion of the reservoir to admit gas from outside the reservoir into the reservoir to follow a gas flow path through the vent opening, through the reservoir and into the one end of the longitudinal collection tube; wherein on the gas flow path there is at least one turbulent gas-flow-generation feature () to generate turbulent gas flow in a region that is within the reservoir and outside the longitudinal collection tube.

Build material container

There is provided a build material source container for use in a material management station of a three dimensional, 3D, printer. The source container defines a substantially enclosed space for holding build material and has an aperture for build material ingress and egress. At least part of the build material source container is formed from an electrically conductive material. The conductive material portion of the build material source container is connectable to Earth to discharge static electricity generated within the build material source container.

Build material source container

A media-sheet stacking system for stacking media sheets on a device output tray comprises a kicker to advance a media sheet along the output tray by pushing a trailing edge of the media sheet as it exits the device, and a movable element arranged to face the output tray across a space that receives media sheets exiting the device. A drive mechanism is provided to drive the movable element in the direction of advance of the media sheet along the output tray.

Media-sheet stacking systems

A handoff mechanism for use with a media stacker of a media production apparatus comprises a plurality of kicker units () arranged across a width of the handoff mechanism. A common drive mechanism () is provided to move the plurality of kicker units () between a closed position and an open position. Each kicker unit (), when in the closed position during use, applies a pressure to any media sheets that are already stacked in a stacker tray () while a new media sheet is being fed to the stacker tray. The pressure provided by each kicker unit () is independent of the pressure provided by the other kicker units ().

Handoff mechanism for a media production apparatus

A build material container for use in 3D printing includes a reservoir to hold build material and a build material outlet structure. The container also includes a throughput structure to allow air to enter into the reservoir through the throughput opening, wherein said throughput opening provides access to build material in and out of the reservoir.

A media-sheet stacking system () for stacking media sheets on a device output tray (OT) comprises a kicker () to advance a media sheet along the output tray by pushing a trailing edge of the media sheet as it exits the device, and a movable element () arranged to face the output tray across a space that receives media sheets exiting the device. A drive mechanism () is provided to drive the movable element in the direction of advance of the media sheet along the output tray.

Growing community of inventors

Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain

Ismael Chanclon Fernandez