Discrete lot powder management for additive manufacturing
A method of additive manufacturing includes supplying additive manufacturing powder to a build area of an additive manufacturing machine. The method includes fusing a portion of the powder to form a part, and removing a non-fused portion of the powder from the build area into a removable vessel for storing non-fused powder after building a part. The method can include supplying additive manufacturing powder to a build area, fusing a portion of the powder, and removing a non-fused portion of the powder all on a single discrete lot of additive manufacturing powder without mixing lots.
1. A method of additive manufacturing comprising:
supplying additive manufacturing powder to a build area of an additive manufacturing machine;
fusing a portion of the powder to form a part; and
removing a non-fused portion of the powder from the build area into a removable vessel for storing non-fused powder after building a part, further comprising maintaining an inert atmosphere in the removable vessel during the removing of the non-fused portion of the powder from the build area into the removable vessel, further comprising:
removing the non-fused powder from the removable vessel within an inert atmosphere;
sieving the non-fused powder within the inert atmosphere; and
returning the non-fused powder into the removable vessel and sealing the removable vessel under the inert atmosphere.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein supplying additive manufacturing powder to a build area, fusing a portion of the powder, and removing a non-fused portion of the powder are performed on a single discrete lot of additive manufacturing powder without mixing lots.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising maintaining at least one of a vacuum, a noble gas, and/or nitrogen gas within the inert atmosphere.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising sealing the non-fused portion of the powder under the inert atmosphere within the removable vessel.
5. The method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising inserting a powder sampling probe into the removable vessel to retrieve a sample of the non-fused powder without compromising the inert atmosphere within the removable vessel.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the part is a first part and further comprising:
supplying the unused portion of powder from the removable vessel to the build area of an additive manufacturing machine; and
additively manufacturing a second part exclusively from the powder from the removable vessel.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein additively manufacturing the second part includes forming the second part entirely with powder from the vessel, wherein the vessel has a capacity of 8 gallons (30.3 Liters).
8. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising heating the removable vessel and the non-fused powder to drive moisture and/or oxygen gas from the non-fused powder.
9. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising
pulling a vacuum on the removable vessel, either alone or during heating to pull off oxygen and/or moisture from the non-fused portion of the powder; and
backfilling the removable vessel to ambient pressure with inert gas.
10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising rolling and/or tumbling the removable vessel and the non-fused powder therein to increase homogeneity in the non-fused powder.