Techniques for Residual Powder Recycling 3D Printing

Depowdering additively manufactured parts containing bound metal powder by immersing the parts in a liquid-filled container, agitating the liquid to dislodge unbound powder from the parts, and filtering the liquid to recover the powder. The agitation may be mechanical vibration, gas jets, or heating to create currents that carry away the loose powder. The filtering separates the powder from the liquid for reuse or disposal.

A build material recovery system for additive manufacturing that uses humidified air to improve the flow and handling of powdered build materials. The system includes a humidifier that adds moisture to the air used to transport the powder between stations in the recovery process pneumatically. The humid air helps to dissipate electrical charges on the powder particles, preventing clumping and sticking that can hinder flow.

An in-situ material regeneration system and method for additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, enables recovery, reconditioning, and reuse of used powders and liquids collected during the AM process. The system and method involve extracting portions of the powder/liquid at various stages, such as after deposition, wetting, and binding, into separate containers. This allows targeted regeneration processes for each type of material. The collected powders/liquids are regenerated separately or mixed and then reused in subsequent print jobs. The in-situ regeneration reduces waste and material costs compared to discarding and replacing used powders/liquids.

Composite-based additive manufacturing uses gravity-based excess powder removal to reduce waste and improve efficiency. The process involves flipping the build surface upside down after each layer is printed, allowing excess material to fall into a collection container through an opening. This eliminates the need for vacuum systems to remove the unused powder. A vibrator can be used to loosen the remaining material fully. The collected powder can then be reused.

Reclaiming powder lost in 3D printing to reduce the costs of additive manufacturing. Powder that spills off the build platform during printing is collected and reused. A vacuum system or other means recovers the spilled powder, which is fed back into the printer and fresh powder. This allows recycling of the spilled powder and reduces the amount of fresh powder needed to print objects.

A powder reclamation system for recovering and recycling unused metal powder from metal 3D printers. The system can connect to multiple printers and reclaim their unused powders. It separates oversized particles and recirculates the reclaimed powder back to the printers along with virgin powder.

A closed-loop pneumatic system to automatically recycle and reuse metal powders in metal 3D printers. The system features a sealed pneumatic transfer channel to prevent powder collisions and maintain powder roundness. It uses controlled powder flow rates, gas flotation, and optimized gas flow to avoid powder stratification. The system also includes sieving, mixing, filtering, and powder monitoring components.

A powder recycling system for 3D printing reclaims excess powder and prevents dust pollution. It uses a sealed chamber with negative pressure and filtration to remove excess powder from printed parts. An air gun and lighting are also provided. This allows the powder to be reused while preventing contamination of the surroundings. A collector underneath the chamber collects the excess powder for recycling.

Recovering and reusing metal powders used in metal 3D printing to reduce costs. A vibratory filtering apparatus separates the contaminated powder from the debris. The apparatus has a stack of filter plates with sequentially decreasing hole sizes. Vibrations help the powder pass through the plates while larger particles remain on top. The filtered powder is collected below for reuse.

Additive manufacturing uses a selective powder deposition technique to enable the recycling of powder without compromising component quality. The method involves selectively depositing build powder and surrogate powder in separate regions on a build platform. Only the build powder is melted to form the component layers. This allows the surrogate powder to be easily removed and recycled separately from the build powder. The selective deposition is done using a powder deposition device with multiple chambers and nozzles. This avoids manually reclaiming and sifting the powder after printing, as in conventional additive manufacturing.

An automated powder recycling system for selective laser sintering 3D printers that reduces the need for manual handling of powders, reduces exposure to powders, and improves the consistency of powders being fed to printers by providing a closed loop recycling system. The system uses pneumatic conveying, breakout stations, rolling feeders, and blending vessels to efficiently recycle excess and used powder back into the main feed hopper.