A 3D printing cleaning module comprises an extraction gate at a lateral wall of a housing; and a platform within the housing to support a build bed including 3D printed parts and un-solidified build material. The platform is tilted or tiltable with respect to a horizontal plane towards the extraction gate to enable 3D printed parts on the platform to be removable through the extraction gate. The module comprises a cleaning engine to remove at least part of the un-solidified build material from the housing, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform; and a controller. The controller is to control the cleaning engine to execute a cleaning operation by removing un-solidified build material from the housing, to cause the part ejection gate to open upon completion of the cleaning operation, and to cause the vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform when the part extraction gate is in the open position.

A 3D printing cleaning module comprises an extraction gate at a lateral wall of a housing; and a platform within the housing to support a build bed including 3D printed parts and un-solidified build material. The platform is tilted or tiltable with respect to a horizontal plane towards the extraction gate to enable 3D printed parts on the platform to be removable through the extraction gate. The module comprises a cleaning engine to remove at least part of the un-solidified build material from the housing, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform; and a controller. The controller is to control the cleaning engine to execute a cleaning operation by removing un-solidified build material from the housing, to cause the part ejection gate to open upon completion of the cleaning operation, and to cause the vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform when the part extraction gate is in the open position.

A 3D printing module to remove un-solidified build material attached to a 3D printed part is disclosed herein. The 3D printing module comprises a platform within a housing to support a 3D printed part, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform, a cleaning element to apply a cleaning stream within the housing to clean the 3D printed part, and a controller. The controller is to vibrate the platform, generate a cleaning stream in the housing, and to control at least one of the platform and the cleaning element to apply the cleaning stream to different portions of a 3D printed part on the platform.

A 3D printing module to remove un-solidified build material attached to a 3D printed part is disclosed herein. The 3D printing module comprises a platform within a housing to support a 3D printed part, a vibrating mechanism to vibrate the platform, a cleaning element to apply a cleaning stream within the housing to clean the 3D printed part, and a controller. The controller is to vibrate the platform, generate a cleaning stream in the housing, and to control at least one of the platform and the cleaning element to apply the cleaning stream to different portions of a 3D printed part on the platform.

A stress controlled layer is constituted to include a compressive stress applied part that is a region to which a compressive stress is applied and a compressive stress non-applied part that is a region different from the compressive stress applied part. In a solidifying step, scanning of a laser beam or an electron beam is performed while a scanning direction for the compressive stress applied part is different from a scanning direction for the compressive stress non-applied part such that the compressive stress applied part expands further than the compressive stress non-applied part or the compressive stress non-applied part shrinks compared with the compressive stress applied part based on a relationship between the scanning direction and an expansion quantity or a shrinkage quantity at a time of temperature change or at a time of heat treatment.

A stress controlled layer is constituted to include a compressive stress applied part that is a region to which a compressive stress is applied and a compressive stress non-applied part that is a region different from the compressive stress applied part. In a solidifying step, scanning of a laser beam or an electron beam is performed while a scanning direction for the compressive stress applied part is different from a scanning direction for the compressive stress non-applied part such that the compressive stress applied part expands further than the compressive stress non-applied part or the compressive stress non-applied part shrinks compared with the compressive stress applied part based on a relationship between the scanning direction and an expansion quantity or a shrinkage quantity at a time of temperature change or at a time of heat treatment.

A layer forming apparatus includes a loading unit including a stage onto which powder is supplied, a rotator that flattens the powder on the stage to form a powder layer, and circuitry. The circuitry causes the rotator to move in a first direction parallel to a surface of the stage and rotate while contacting the powder on the stage to form the powder layer. Further, the circuitry causes the rotator to move in a second direction opposite to the first direction and rotate while contacting surplus powder not on the stage.

A layer forming apparatus includes a loading unit including a stage onto which powder is supplied, a rotator that flattens the powder on the stage to form a powder layer, and circuitry. The circuitry causes the rotator to move in a first direction parallel to a surface of the stage and rotate while contacting the powder on the stage to form the powder layer. Further, the circuitry causes the rotator to move in a second direction opposite to the first direction and rotate while contacting surplus powder not on the stage.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, an additive manufacturing platform is described. The additive manufacturing platform includes a vibrating bed on which a volume of build material is to be disposed. The bed is to vibrate to remove excess build material and operates in at least two extraction modes during a build material extraction period. The additive manufacturing platform also includes a non-vibrating frame to support the vibrating bed.

The invention relates to a decake apparatus. The decake apparatus has a chamber with a base to support a build cake. The build cake includes a build object and non-solidified build material. The apparatus includes a distributor from which to force a fluidisation medium into a lower portion of a build cake supported on the base to fluidise non-solidified build material around the build object so that the build object sinks through the fluidised non-solidified build material towards the base. The also includes a material outlet through which non-solidified build material can be removed from the chamber.