A connection point for a feeding station and/or an emptying station for powdered building material of a building station, unpacking station and/or sieve station which can be combined to form an installation for producing three-dimensional components by layer-by-layer solidification by means of a beam acting on the powdered building material, having a docking port which has a free connection side, having a closure member which opens and closes a passage in the docking port, having a connection port of a connecting device, which connection port can be connected to the docking port and, opposite the connection port, receives a cartridge container, having a closure member which is provided on the connection port and opens and closes a passage of the connection port, wherein, after the connection port has been connected to the docking port, the closure member in the connection port and the closure member in the docking port form a lock for the powdered building material in the feeding station for feeding and in the emptying station for discharging powdered building material.

A storage device for cartridge containers in a installation for producing three-dimensional component by selective solidification by means of a beam acting on a powdered building material, having a magazine which has a plurality of storage locations for receiving cartridge containers and which can be transferred at least to an emptying/feeding station and to a loading/unloading station, having a holding device provided at each storage location, by means of which the cartridge container is fixed to the storage location in an exchangeable manner, having an opening provided in the storage location, by means of which a docking port of the emptying/feeding station can be connected to the cartridge container, and having a drive which activates a change of the storage locations by a displacement movement of the magazine at least between an emptying/filling position of the emptying/feeding station and the loading/unloading station.

In one example, a system for loading build material into a portable build unit having a platform on which objects are printed and a build material supply container next to the platform. The system includes a build material dispenser, a conveyor to move the build unit and/or the dispenser, and a controller operatively connected to the dispenser and the conveyor. The controller is programmed to, with the build unit and the dispenser in a fill position, cause the dispenser to dispense build material into the supply container, cause the conveyor to move the build unit and/or the dispenser to and/or from the fill position, and, while the conveyor moves the build unit and/or the dispenser to and/or from the fill position, cause the dispenser to dispense build material on to the platform.

Disclosed are a high-throughput preparation device for metal fiber based on multi powder and a method for preparing a metal fiber using the device. The high-throughput preparation device includes a metal powder conveying system, a metal powder mixing system, a metal powder melting system and a metal fiber forming system which are connected in sequence, where the metal powder melting system includes an induction powder melting device and a laser powder melting device which are independently disposed. The method for preparing a metal fiber using the high-throughput preparation device includes four steps: powder conveying, powder mixing, melting and forming.

A plasticization device includes: a rotor rotated by a drive motor and having a groove forming surface in which a first groove portion is formed along a rotation direction; a rotor case configured to accommodate the rotor; a barrel facing the groove forming surface and having a through hole; a first heating unit configured to heat the rotor or the barrel; and a cooling mechanism configured to cool a side surface of the rotor. In the plasticization device, a material supplied between the first groove portion and the barrel is plasticized by rotation of the rotor and heating by the first heating unit to flow out from the through hole, and the side surface of the rotor has a material guiding port configured to guide the material to the first groove portion, and a second groove portion configured to feed the material supplied between the rotor and the rotor case to the material guiding port.

A plasticization device includes: a rotor rotated by a drive motor and having a groove forming surface in which a first groove portion is formed along a rotation direction; a rotor case configured to accommodate the rotor; a barrel facing the groove forming surface and having a through hole; a first heating unit configured to heat the rotor or the barrel; and a cooling mechanism configured to cool a side surface of the rotor. In the plasticization device, a material supplied between the first groove portion and the barrel is plasticized by rotation of the rotor and heating by the first heating unit to flow out from the through hole, and the side surface of the rotor has a material guiding port configured to guide the material to the first groove portion, and a second groove portion configured to feed the material supplied between the rotor and the rotor case to the material guiding port.

A powder flow monitoring system may include a computing device configured to receive image data representing illuminated powder of a powder stream between a powder delivery device and a build surface of a component, generate a representation of the powder stream based on the image data, and output the representation of the powder stream for display at a display device.

An additive manufacturing system may include a powder delivery device configured to direct a powder stream toward a build surface of a component, and a powder flow monitoring system. The powder delivery device defines a longitudinal axis oriented toward the build surface. The powder flow monitoring system includes an illumination device configured to illuminate at least some powder the powder stream between the powder delivery device and the build surface; and an imaging device configured to image the illuminated powder at an image plane that intersects the longitudinal axis. The illumination device and the imaging device may be registered to the powder delivery device in a plane substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis.

An additive manufacturing system may include an energy delivery device configured to deliver energy to a build surface of a component to form a melt pool in the build surface of the component; a powder delivery device configured to direct a powder stream toward the melt pool; a plurality of mass sensors, each mass sensor associated with a portion of the additive manufacturing system; a plurality of heat sensors; and one or more computing devices. The computing device(s) are configured to receive data from the plurality of mass sensors; determine an overall mass flux based on the data from the mass sensors; control the powder delivery device based on the overall mass flux; receive data from the plurality of heat sensors; determine an overall heat flux based on the data from the heat sensors; and control the energy delivery device based on the overall heat flux.

An additive manufacturing system may include an energy delivery device configured to deliver energy to a build surface of a component to form a melt pool in the build surface of the component; a powder delivery device configured to direct a powder stream toward the melt pool; a plurality of mass sensors, each mass sensor associated with a portion of the additive manufacturing system; a plurality of heat sensors; and one or more computing devices. The computing device(s) are configured to receive data from the plurality of mass sensors; determine an overall mass flux based on the data from the mass sensors; control the powder delivery device based on the overall mass flux; receive data from the plurality of heat sensors; determine an overall heat flux based on the data from the heat sensors; and control the energy delivery device based on the overall heat flux.