A device for depositing a layer of granular material on a deposition surface. The device includes a discharge hopper, a scraper, and a transporter to move the discharge hopper and the scraper relative to the deposition surface. The hopper includes a plurality of discharge holes, aligned in a transverse direction, a top portion and a conical bottom discharge portion. The bottom discharge portion includes two transverse walls that are inclined towards the discharge holes. Each compartment, of a transverse compartmentalization of the discharge portion, includes two walls perpendicular to the transverse walls of the conical bottom discharge portion and inclined towards the discharge holes. Each compartment facing a discharge hole forms a pyramid-shaped conduit in the bottom discharge portion. The consecutive walls of the two compartments being joined at a corner where they meet in the bottom discharge portion.

A 3D printer is disclosed herein. The 3D printer comprises a build material distributor to generate layers of a build material in a spreading direction along a spreading axis; a resonator mounted on the build material distributor to vibrate the build material distributor along the spreading axis at a frequency; and a controller. The controller is to control the resonator to vibrate the build material distributor at the frequency while controlling the build material distributor to spread a volume of build material over a platform to generate a layer of build material.

A 3D printer is disclosed herein. The 3D printer comprises a build material distributor to generate layers of a build material in a spreading direction along a spreading axis; a resonator mounted on the build material distributor to vibrate the build material distributor along the spreading axis at a frequency; and a controller. The controller is to control the resonator to vibrate the build material distributor at the frequency while controlling the build material distributor to spread a volume of build material over a platform to generate a layer of build material.

In an embodiment a 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component includes a work surface, at least two movable dispensers configured to coat the work surface with one of at least two different raw materials in each case, wherein at least a part of the respective raw material is addable to the component as a layer in a manufacturing step, and at least two movable recovering devices configured to selectively recover the respective raw material which is not consumed when a layer is added to the component and return the recovered raw material to a respective associated dispenser.

A method of forming a vitreous bond abrasive article is presented that includes receiving, by a manufacturing device having one or more processors, a digital object comprising data specifying a plurality of layers of a vitreous bond abrasive article precursor. The vitreous bond abrasive article precursor includes abrasive particles bonded together by a vitreous bond precursor material and an organic compound. The vitreous bond abrasive article precursor further comprises at least one of: at least one tortuous cooling channel extending at least partially through the vitreous bond abrasive article precursor or at least one arcuate cooling channel extending at least partially through the vitreous bond abrasive article precursor. The method also includes generating, with the manufacturing device by an additive manufacturing process, the vitreous bond abrasive article precursor based on the digital object.

A build material dispensing device may include a material spreader to spread an amount of build material along a build platform, and at least one hopper for dispensing the build material. The at least one hopper dispenses a plurality of doses of the build material in front of the progression of the material spreader as the material spreader is moved over the build platform.

A build material dispensing device may include a material spreader to spread an amount of build material along a build platform, and at least one hopper for dispensing the build material. The at least one hopper dispenses a plurality of doses of the build material in front of the progression of the material spreader as the material spreader is moved over the build platform.

A method of monitoring an additive manufacturing process in which one or more energy beams are used to selectively fuse a powder to form a workpiece, in the presence of one or more plumes generated by interaction of the one or more energy beams with the powder. The method includes using at least one sensor to generate at least one signal representative of a trajectory of one or more of the plumes.

The invention comprises a 3D printer for additively manufacturing a multilayer component. The 3D printer comprises at least two separate dispensers (2) coating a conveyor belt (3) with respectively different raw material, a manufacturing unit in which at least part of the raw material is added to the component (8) as a new layer, at least two separate recovery devices (12) for selectively recovering the respectively different raw material, which is not consumed when a layer is added to the component (8), and returning the raw material to the respective associated dispenser (2) and conveyor belt (3) which transports the raw material from the dispenser (2) to the manufacturing unit and further to the recovery device (12) in the lateral direction.

A method for preparing an additive manufacturing program includes a loading step, a dividing step, an overhang calculating step, a subdividing step, a maintaining step, and an outputting step. In the loading step, a three-dimensional model is loaded. In the dividing step, the three-dimensional model is divided into divided layers. In the overhang calculating step, an overhang angle or overhang length of the divided layer is calculated. In the subdividing step, at least a part of the divided layer including an overhang portion is subdivided into two or more in a lamination direction. In the maintaining step, neither subdivision of the divided layer nor addition of a support structure supporting the divided layer is performed. The subdividing step and the maintaining step are selectively performed based on the overhang angle or overhang length. In the outputting step, an additive manufacturing program defining a command pertaining to additive manufacturing is output.