Apparatus and method for supporting and extracting a build part formed in an additive manufacturing process
An apparatus and method are provided for extracting a build part from an additive manufacturing machine. Upon completion of the build part by the additive manufacturing machine, a pin array is placed above the build part, the pin array including a plurality of pins slidably supported by a support plate for vertical movement relative to the support plate. The pin array is moved toward the build part so that the plurality of pins contact the build part and conform to the contour of the build part. The pins of the pin array are locked with the pins in contact with and conforming to the build part. The pin array and build part are inverted so that the build part is supported by the locked pins of the pin array. All of the pins of the array are locked simultaneously by a common locking component. The build plate can be formed on a sacrificial interposer plate that is removed by an etchant bath supported on the pin array when the build part is inverted.
1. An apparatus for supporting a build part produced in an additive manufacturing process, the apparatus comprising: a pin array including; at least one support plate defining a plurality of parallel holes therethrough; and a like plurality of rigid elongated pins, each extending through a corresponding one of said plurality of parallel holes and slidable in a vertical direction relative to said corresponding one of said holes, and each including a tip at one end configured to contact a surface of the build part and an opposite end adjacent a surface of the support plate, each of the pins movable relative to said support plate by a force acting on the tip, as the pin array is moved toward the build part, to move the opposite end in the vertical direction away from said surface of the support plate; and a locking component for engaging each of the plurality of elongated pins to lock the pins against movement in the vertical direction relative to the support plate; said at least one support plate includes a pair of support plates offset from each other, each plate defining said plurality of parallel holes to receive the like plurality of pins therethrough; and said locking component includes; a compressible elastomeric composition disposed between said pair of plates, said elastomeric composition defining a like plurality of parallel holes to receive the plurality of pins therethrough; and a mechanism for moving one or both of said pair of plates toward the other of the pair of plates to compress said elastomeric composition so that the Poisson effect causes the elastomeric composition to press against said pins within said like plurality of holes in the composition, whereby the pins are locked by friction between the pins and the compressed elastomeric composition.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin of said pin array includes a biasing spring configured to bias the opposite end of the pins toward the surface of the support plate.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin has a circular cross-section and each hole is circular and sized for friction-free movement of a corresponding pin therethrough.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin has a circular cross-section and each hole has a non-circular shape and sized for friction-free movement of a corresponding pin therethrough.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each pin has a non-circular cross-section and each hole has a corresponding non-circular shape sized for friction-free movement of a corresponding pin therethrough.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said mechanism for moving includes a mechanical drive connected between said pair of plates and operable to move one or both of said pair of plates toward and away from the other plate.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said mechanism for moving includes: an electrode plate mounted on at least one of said pair of plates; and an electrical coil configured and arranged to generate an electromagnetic field that causes said electrode plate and said at least one of said pair of plates to move.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said mechanism for moving includes: an electrode plate mounted on each of said pair of support plates, the electrode plate of one of the pair of support plates electrically connected to a voltage source and the electrode plate of the other of the pair of support plates electrically connected to ground or to a different voltage source, whereby energizing the electrode plate of each of said pair of support plates generates an electrostatic potential between the electrode plates operable to move the pair of support plates toward each other.