VulcanForms Inc. (20240424569). POWDER DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

POWDER DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Organization Name

VulcanForms Inc.

Inventor(s)

Lucas Buermeyer of Ayer MA (US)

William Curtis Stone of Tewksbury MA (US)

POWDER DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240424569 titled 'POWDER DISPENSING SYSTEM FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Original Abstract Submitted

system and method for dispensing powder material for an additive manufacturing system. a hopper can include a spline configured for rotation to dispense powder material from an exit opening of the hopper. a shield can be provided for one or both ends of the spline to help control powder movement at an interface with the spline, e.g., so powder that passes the interface is trapped in a space. an auger can be provided in a hopper and configured for moving powder in the hopper in two opposed directions in response to rotation of the auger in a single direction. a common drive can be used to move both an auger and spline. one or more load cells can be provided to determine a mass of powder delivered to and/or dispensed from the hopper.