A system and corresponding method for additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional (3D) object to improve packing density of a powder bed used in the manufacturing process. The system and corresponding method enable higher density packing of the powder. Such higher density packing leads to better mechanical interlocking of particles, leading to lower sintering temperatures and reduced deformation of the 3D object during sintering. An embodiment of the system comprises means for adjusting a volume of a powder metered onto a top surface of the powder bed to produce an adjusted metered volume and means for spreading the adjusted metered volume to produce a smooth volume for forming a smooth layer of the powder with controlled packing density across the top surface of the powder bed. The controlled packing density enables uniform shrinkage, without warping, of the 3D object during sintering to produce higher quality 3D printed objects.

According to the present invention a method is provided for feeding a gas flow to an additive manufacturing space during a manufacturing process wherein the gas flow is established by a pump connected to the manufacturing space wherein the pump is controlled by a set differential pressure, and wherein the gas flow consists of Helium or the gas flow consists of a gas mixture comprising 30 Vol.-% Argon and 70 Vol.-% Helium or the gas flow consists of a gas mixture comprising 50 Vol.-% Argon and 50 Vol.-% Helium or the gas flow consists of a gas mixture comprising 70 Vol.-% Argon and 30 Vol.-% Helium.

3D printing using certain materials, such as metal containing multi-phase materials can be prone to clogs and other flow interruptions. Providing build material according to feed rate profiles having varying rates can mitigate these problems. Each feed rate profile can be broken up into blocks of time, some of which relate to fabricating the exterior geometry of the object. Each block of time can be represented by a FFT. The blocks that relate to the exterior are represented by a FFT that has significant high frequency content of 1 Hz or greater. It is beneficial to use profiles including feed rates outside of a range of feed rates suitable for steady state extrusion, being either higher or lower rates than the range limits. A combination of feed rate profiles based only on clog and flow interruption mitigation and operational to print the part according to a model can be used.

A device for heating a bed of powder in an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising: a plasma generation device (20), said device being adapted to be positioned and displaced above the bed of powder, at a distance from the bed of powder allowing for the generation of the plasma thereon, an electrical power supply unit (22) for said plasma generation device, and a control unit (9) for controlling the power supply and the displacement of the plasma generation device The plasma generation device (20) comprises a magnetic plasma containment assembly.

A device for heating a bed of powder in an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising: a plasma generation device (20), said device being adapted to be positioned and displaced above the bed of powder, at a distance from the bed of powder allowing for the generation of the plasma thereon, an electrical power supply unit (22) for said plasma generation device, and a control unit (9) for controlling the power supply and the displacement of the plasma generation device The plasma generation device (20) comprises a magnetic plasma containment assembly.

The invention refers to a method of generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object (2) in a process chamber (3) of a generative manufacturing apparatus (1) by a layer-by-layer application and selective solidification of a building material (13) within a build area (10) arranged in the process chamber. In the course of this, while the object is being manufactured, a process gas is supplied to the process chamber by means of a gas supply device and is discharged from the process chamber via an outlet (42a, 42b). According to the invention, the gas supply device is designed and/or arranged relatively to the build area and/or controlled such that a gas stream (40) of the process gas streaming through the process chamber is shaped in such a manner that a substantially elongate oval impingement area (A3) of the gas stream (40) is generated within the build area (10).

The invention refers to a method of generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object (2) in a process chamber (3) of a generative manufacturing apparatus (1) by a layer-by-layer application and selective solidification of a building material (13) within a build area (10) arranged in the process chamber. In the course of this, while the object is being manufactured, a process gas is supplied to the process chamber by means of a gas supply device and is discharged from the process chamber via an outlet (42a, 42b). According to the invention, the gas supply device is designed and/or arranged relatively to the build area and/or controlled such that a gas stream (40) of the process gas streaming through the process chamber is shaped in such a manner that a substantially elongate oval impingement area (A3) of the gas stream (40) is generated within the build area (10).

A lamination molding apparatus including a chamber covering a molding region; a laser beam source to emit a laser beam for sintering a material powder supplied on the molding region to form a sintered layer; and a scan unit to scan the laser beam. The laser beam has one or more spot shapes including at least an elongated shape, and the scan unit is configured to scan the laser beam, of which the spot shape is an elongated shape, in a lateral direction of the elongated shape, is provided.

A lamination molding apparatus including a chamber covering a molding region; a laser beam source to emit a laser beam for sintering a material powder supplied on the molding region to form a sintered layer; and a scan unit to scan the laser beam. The laser beam has one or more spot shapes including at least an elongated shape, and the scan unit is configured to scan the laser beam, of which the spot shape is an elongated shape, in a lateral direction of the elongated shape, is provided.

A caster assembly configured to process and store a material includes a reaction chamber, a storage assembly configured to store material processed in the reaction chamber, and a blower configured to process and store the material. The reaction chamber includes a vessel configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing and a powder generating assembly configured to receive the material from the melting vessel. The powder generating assembly includes a feeding chamber and a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber. The feeding device includes at least one nozzle configured to inject inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two into the feeding chamber and a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber to be exposed to the inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two.