The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 02, 2022
Filed:
Jan. 05, 2018
Reliance Precision Limited, Huddersfield, GB;
William Thomas Richardson, West Yorkshire, GB;
Other;
Abstract
Additive layer manufacturing apparatus utilizing a housing, which bounds a vacuum chamber and has a window for monitoring a region of the chamber in which additive layer manufacturing is to be carried out, and an electron beam column for generating an electron beam and transmitting the beam through the chamber to the region for action on successive layers of fusible powder material, particularly metallic material, to produce an article therefrom. In order to combat the problem of deposition on the window of metal material escaping from the layer as gaseous phase constituents with a boiling point below the melting point of the material, an optical element is arranged in the chamber to intercept such liberated gaseous phase constituents, which in a vacuum environment in the chamber travel along an optical path between the region and the window, and optical element heating means substantially preventing condensation of the intercepted constituents.