APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORK PIECE

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece, comprising:

a carrier configured to receive multiple layers of raw material powder;

an irradiation unit configured to direct a radiation beam to predetermined sites of an uppermost layer of the raw material powder in order to solidify the raw material powder at the predetermined sites;

a process chamber defining a volume through which the radiation beam is directed from the irradiation unit to the raw material powder; and

a support structure provided outside the process chamber and supporting the irradiation unit.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the support structure is thermally decoupled from the process chamber, such that process heat inside the process chamber causes no substantial thermal deformation of the support structure.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the irradiation unit is mechanically decoupled from the process chamber, such that thermal deformation of the process chamber due to process heat inside the process chamber causes no substantial dislocation of the irradiation unit with regard to the support structure.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein an air gap is provided between the support structure and a side wall of the process chamber.

20 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a build cylinder having at least one side wall configured to be in contact with the raw material powder applied onto the carrier.

21 . The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising:

a carrier movement unit configured to vertically move the carrier with regard to the process chamber and with regard to the build cylinder and within the build cylinder, the carrier movement unit being supported by the support structure.

22 . The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the carrier movement unit is mechanically decoupled from the process chamber, such that thermal deformation of the process chamber due to process heat inside the process chamber causes no substantial dislocation of the carrier movement unit with regard to the support structure.

23 . The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising a build cylinder movement unit configured to vertically move the build cylinder with regard to the support structure.

24 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the process chamber is supported by the support structure at a ground level of the process chamber.

25 . The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the process chamber is supported by the support structure via the process chamber movement unit.

26 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a powder application device supported by the support structure.

27 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a thermal isolation layer provided between the irradiation unit and the process chamber.

28 . The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a vertical location measurement device configured to determine a vertical location of the carrier with regard to the support structure.

29 . The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the vertical location measurement device comprises a glass scale.

30 . A method for producing a three-dimensional work piece, comprising:

applying a layer of raw material powder onto a carrier;

directing, by an irradiation unit, a radiation beam to predetermined sites of the layer of the raw material powder in order to solidify the raw material powder at the predetermined sites, wherein the radiation beam is directed from the irradiation unit to the raw material powder through a volume defined by a process chamber,

and wherein a support structure is provided outside the process chamber and supports the irradiation unit.