Gas Extraction in 3D Printer Chambers

Intelligent deoxygenation and purification system for metal 3D printers that reduces oxygen content, improves print quality, and saves gas consumption. The system uses a closed-loop gas circulation with vacuum pump, filters, and solenoid valves to continuously clean and deoxygenate the printing chamber. It also detects oxygen and pressure levels in real-time to optimize conditions and prevent contamination. The loop recirculates gas through a filter, smoke purifier, and exhaust to remove impurities and reduce oxygen. This avoids excessive gas consumption compared to periodic purging.

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A box-type purifier to eliminate fine dust and harmful gases generated during use of 3D printers and other similar devices that emit hazardous substances. The purifier is a sealed chamber with a removable filter inside. An air pump draws in contaminated air from the chamber, forces it through the filter to capture particles, and returns the purified air back to the pump. Sensors measure dust levels and adjust pump speed. The chamber isolates the devices from the environment to prevent exposure to the hazardous gases and particles. The removable filter allows replacement for maintenance.

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Impurity removal device for 3D printers that reduces oxygen concentration in the print chamber gas to prevent defects in printed parts. The device has a gas supply unit, a removal body that removes impurities by heating, and a removal unit containing metal like titanium or alloys like magnesium, aluminum, calcium. Before supplying the gas to the printer, oxygen is removed using the device. A filter removes moisture/CO2. A mixing unit combines powder and gas. This prevents oxygen-containing gases from printing metal parts with affinity for oxygen.

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A removable gas purification device for 3D printers that attaches externally to the printer and connects to the print chamber. The device has a filter element inside a sealed housing. It draws air from the print chamber through an inlet, filters the gases, then returns the purified air through an outlet back into the chamber. This allows external filtration and reduces heat loss compared to internal filters. The device attaches behind the printer's fan and accelerates part curing. The filter housing has channels to connect to the print chamber and fan.

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A device and method to improve quality of 3D printed objects by optimizing the process gas environment. The device has multiple separable filter chambers in the gas circuit that can be individually isolated during printing. This allows cleaning or replacing filters without interrupting printing. It uses sensors to monitor differential pressure across filters and volume flow. Cleaning is triggered when thresholds are exceeded. This prevents sudden flow changes from separating filters.

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Negative pressure powder feeding system for additive manufacturing that addresses issues of powder clogging, oxygen content, and efficiency compared to prior systems like manual, positive pressure, and negative pressure feeding. The system uses a sealed transition chamber with an inert gas inlet that can be opened after powder reaches a certain height. This dilutes the oxygen content in the chamber before printing starts. A blower evacuates the chamber, preventing powder clogging and sealing issues. The system also has a filter and pulse valve to prevent powder blocking the exhaust. The chamber can be pressurized with inert gas between prints to further lower oxygen levels.

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An additive manufacturing system that uses gas flow to remove smoke and particles from the chamber during manufacturing, improving the quality of printed objects. The system has an upper gas flow along the build platform and a lower gas flow directed parallel to the platform. The lower gas is introduced above or below the platform and guided by a contoured surface to flow parallel to the platform surface. This gas flow configuration prevents recirculation and efficiently removes smoke and particles from the chamber.

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A gas extraction system for a 3D printing apparatus that allows precise control of the temperature and airflow in the printing chamber. The system uses a primary conduit with a primary inlet, interfacing inlet, and outlet. A secondary conduit connects the primary conduit to the working space inlet. Flow control devices regulate the flow of gas from the working space into the secondary conduit, which is then suctioned out by an external extraction source. This allows precise control of the temperature and airflow in the printing chamber while removing fumes and byproducts.

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Automated optimization of evacuation gas flow (EGF) in additive manufacturing (AM) build chambers to improve component quality. The method involves receiving input parameters like chamber geometry and operating conditions, simulating gas flow in the modified chamber, extracting evacuation streamlines, and calculating flow improvements using a metric. This iterative process resolves an optimal chamber design with maximized EGF.

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A fume extraction system for 3D printers that allows printing at high temperatures without releasing noxious fumes. A pump pulls air from the printer chamber through a filter to remove particulates and fumes. The filtered air is returned to the chamber. The filter contains an adsorption filter to remove noxious fumes. The system can operate in different modes during printing to maintain chamber pressure and temperature.

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A fume extraction system for large-scale additive manufacturing machines that prevents contamination between work zones when using multiple energy beams to consolidate the powder. The system uses fixed-side manifolds and a movable central manifold above the overlap zone between adjacent work zones. The central manifold extends over the full transverse dimension and can translate longitudinally to cover the entire work surface. This allows fume extraction close to the powder without beams crossing work zones.

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A 3D printer exhaust gas filtration system to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the exhaust of a 3D printer to mitigate environmental and health hazards. The system has a housing with a VOC filter inside, an exhaust fan, and a connection to the 3D printer nozzle. The filter contains components like VOC purification boards, heating tubes, asbestos nets, and CO2 absorption plates to capture and remove VOCs from the exhaust. The fan pulls the filtered exhaust out of the housing and away from the printer. This prevents VOCs from being released into the air.

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A method to adjust air pressure inside a 3D printing chamber that reduces the amount of protective gas needed and prevents smoke contamination. The method involves: 1. Starting the printer and allowing it to heat up, but not yet initiating the printing process. 2. Opening a valve to allow ambient air into the chamber. 3. Closing the valve after a predetermined time to seal the chamber and prevent smoke from rising. 4. Starting the printing process. This method allows the chamber to fill with ambient air before printing instead of using protective gas, reducing cost and preventing smoke contamination during printing.

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A device to remove harmful gases generated during 3D printing. The device is installed in the nozzle of a 3D printer and removes harmful gases like heavy metals emitted during printing. It consists of a filter unit to collect the gases and an intake unit to suck the gases into the filter. The filter contains materials like activated carbon and diatomaceous earth to absorb the harmful gases. The filter unit is located in a housing with an intake from the nozzle and an outlet to exhaust the filtered gases.

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Reducing the amount of process gas wasted during additive manufacturing by collecting and reusing fluid displaced from the process chamber. The fluid is collected and/or fed back into the chamber or into another apparatus's chamber based on its process gas content. The collected fluid can be purified to increase the process gas content.

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An additive manufacturing apparatus with a gas recirculation loop purifies the inert cover gas used during the process. The loop removes impurities from the cover gas to generate a clean cover gas that can be reintroduced into the chamber for the additive manufacturing process. The loop includes purification devices like particle filters and gas scrubbers to remove solid and gaseous impurities.

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A closed-loop system to purify the air inside a 3D printer enclosure during printing to remove harmful gases generated during the process. The system has a chamber with a removable tray for the 3D printer, an air pump, filters, and a vibration sensor. The pump sucks air from the bottom, filters it, and pumps it back. The sensor detects 3D printer vibration to start/stop the pump. It also measures air quality and adjusts pump speed. This captures and filters the toxic gases emitted during printing to prevent indoor exposure.

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Gas delivery and purging device for additive manufacturing chamber to reduce purge times and gas volume by allowing a gas like argon to flow into the chamber in a non-turbulent, laminar manner that displaces other gases and forces them out. The device uses flexible tubes with pores across their entire surface area.

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A sealed enclosure for 3D printers that captures and filters the odorous gases produced during printing to prevent operator exposure and environmental pollution. The enclosure has a door with a transparent window, adjustable feet to level the printer, and a skirt with sealing foam around the door. Inside are components like an exhaust fan, filters, gas sensor, and check valves to draw in air, filter it, and expel cleaned air. The enclosure seals tightly with compacted foam around the door panels to prevent air leaks.

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Method and device for circulating and purifying impurity gas in a low positive pressure sealed molding chamber used in additive manufacturing like laser selective melting (SLM). The method involves continuously circulating and purifying the gas inside the sealed molding chamber to maintain low oxygen levels, prevent oxidation, and remove metal dust particles. The purification system has a filter to collect metal dust and a feedback loop to monitor key indicators like oxygen concentration and cleanliness. This improves part quality, prevents contamination, and mitigates health risks compared to simple filters.

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