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.

An apparatus (1) for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects (2) by successive, selective layer-by-layer exposure and thus successive, selective layer-by-layer solidification of construction material layers of construction material (3) that can be solidified by means of an energy beam, comprising a pipe structure (12), and a filter device (7) that is connected to the pipe structure (12), provided for filtering the process gas (9), wherein the filter device (7) comprises several filter modules (14) that can be or are arranged exchangeably connected to the pipe structure (12).

An apparatus for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects by successive, selective layer-by-layer exposure and thus successive, selective layer-by-layer solidification of construction material layers of construction material that can be solidified by means of an energy beam, comprising a filter device provided for filtering process gas arising in the course of performing additive construction processes in a process chamber of the apparatus, wherein the filter device comprises several filter modules with a filter module housing each, wherein every filter module housing comprises a filter body receiving room configured with a defined geometry provided for receiving a defined number of filter bodies configured with a defined geometry, wherein every filter module comprises connection interfaces on the filter module via which it is or can be connected, if required, to defined connection areas of a pipe structure of the apparatus that is or can be flown through by the process gas.

An additive manufacturing machine includes a heated gas circulation system for regulating the temperature of additive powder throughout an annular powder bed and parts formed therein. The additive manufacturing machine includes an annular build platform defining a plurality of perforations and a heated gas supply that provides a flow of heated air through the plurality of perforations and the powder bed. The additive manufacturing machine further includes a plurality of fairings for guiding the flow of heated gas to temperature sensitive regions to minimize temperature gradients within the powder bed which might otherwise result in distortion, thermal stresses, or cracking in the finished part.

An additive manufacturing machine includes a heated gas circulation system for regulating the temperature of additive powder throughout a powder bed and parts formed therein. The additive manufacturing machine includes a build platform defining a plurality of perforations and a heated gas supply that provides a flow of heated air into a distribution manifold and through the plurality of perforations and the powder bed to minimize temperature gradients within the powder bed which might otherwise result in distortion, thermal stresses, or cracking in the finished part.

An additive processing method includes providing a cover gas in a chamber in connection with additive fabrication of an article in the chamber, the cover gas entraining impurities during the additive fabrication, circulating the cover gas with entrained impurities from the chamber into a gas recirculation loop, removing the entrained impurities from the cover gas in the gas recirculation loop to generate a clean cover gas, circulating the clean cover gas into the chamber during the additive fabrication, and metering an amount of new cover gas provided into the chamber from a cover gas source connected to the chamber, the amount being metered with respect to an amount of the clean cover gas circulated into the chamber from the gas recirculation loop.

An additive processing method includes providing a cover gas in a chamber in connection with additive fabrication of an article in the chamber, the cover gas entraining impurities during the additive fabrication, circulating the cover gas with entrained impurities from the chamber into a gas recirculation loop, removing the entrained impurities from the cover gas in the gas recirculation loop to generate a clean cover gas, circulating the clean cover gas into the chamber during the additive fabrication, and metering an amount of new cover gas provided into the chamber from a cover gas source connected to the chamber, the amount being metered with respect to an amount of the clean cover gas circulated into the chamber from the gas recirculation loop.

A mobile additive manufacturing installation (10) comprises a main self-supporting frame (12), a main manufacturing housing (14), at least one main additive manufacturing machine (M1) installed inside the main manufacturing housing, a main inerting device (26), a main circulation path and a main airlock (34). The mobile installation also comprises at least one auxiliary manufacturing housing connected to the main manufacturing housing (14), at least one auxiliary additive manufacturing machine (M2, M3) being installed in this auxiliary manufacturing housing, an auxiliary self-supporting frame (112) supporting this auxiliary manufacturing housing and independent of the main self-supporting frame (12), and an auxiliary circulation path (132) being provided in the auxiliary manufacturing housing.

A 3D printing apparatus to dehumidify and recycle a gas from a 3D printer is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises: a gas inlet to receive a gas flow from a 3D printer, the gas flow comprising gas with evaporated solvents to be cleaned; a heat exchanger to dehumidify the gas flow from the evaporated solvents, the heat exchanger to cool the gas flow by heat transfer to a cold liquid stream from a chiller to saturate and condensate the solvents from the gas flow; a gas outlet to output the dehumidified gas flow back to the 3D printer; and a controller. The controller is to receive a humidity and temperature measurements from a sensor located downstream from the heat exchanger; compare the humidity and temperature measurements with a target humidity and a target temperature respectively; and control a chiller valve from the chiller based on the comparison to adjust the temperature of the gas flow to set an absolute humidity of the gas flow to a predeterminable value.

A 3D printing apparatus to dehumidify and recycle a gas from a 3D printer is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises: a gas inlet to receive a gas flow from a 3D printer, the gas flow comprising gas with evaporated solvents to be cleaned; a heat exchanger to dehumidify the gas flow from the evaporated solvents, the heat exchanger to cool the gas flow by heat transfer to a cold liquid stream from a chiller to saturate and condensate the solvents from the gas flow; a gas outlet to output the dehumidified gas flow back to the 3D printer; and a controller. The controller is to receive a humidity and temperature measurements from a sensor located downstream from the heat exchanger; compare the humidity and temperature measurements with a target humidity and a target temperature respectively; and control a chiller valve from the chiller based on the comparison to adjust the temperature of the gas flow to set an absolute humidity of the gas flow to a predeterminable value.