DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATION FOR A METAL DROP EJECTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) OBJECT PRINTER THAT FACILITATES REMOVAL OF SUPPORT STRUCTURES FROM A METAL OBJECT

1 . A metal drop ejecting apparatus comprising:

an ejector head having a vessel with a receptacle within the vessel that is configured to hold melted metal, the ejector head being configured to eject drops of melted metal from the receptacle serially;

a planar member positioned opposite the ejector head; and

a graphite application device that is configured to apply graphite to a surface to form a graphite interface between a support structure surface formed with drops of melted metal ejected from the receptacle of the ejector head and a portion of a metal object being formed on the planar member with drops of melted metal ejected from the receptacle of the ejector head.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , the graphite application device further comprising:

a housing having an opening;

a graphite member within the opening of the housing;

a first actuator operatively connected to the housing; and

a controller operatively connected to the first actuator, the controller being configured to:

operate the first actuator to move the housing to the surface and move the graphite member with a reciprocating motion against the surface to form the graphite interface between the support structure formed with drops of melted metal ejected from the receptacle of the ejector head and the portion of the metal object being formed on the planar member with drops of melted metal ejected from the receptacle of the ejector head.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , the graphite application device further comprising:

a member in the opening of the housing;

a second actuator operatively connected to the member; and

the controller being operatively connected to the second actuator, the controller being further configured to:

operate the second actuator to move the graphite member within the opening in the housing to extend an end of the graphite member outside of the opening.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:

a spring mounted within the opening in the housing about the graphite member;

wherein a portion of the graphite member is interposed between the member and the spring.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a threaded recess in the opening of the housing; and

wherein the member within the opening of the housing is a threaded member and the second actuator is configured to rotate the threaded member in the threaded recess; and

the controller is further configured to:

operate the second actuator to rotate the threaded member in the threaded recess to extend the graphite member.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the graphite member has a T-shaped longitudinal cross-sectional area and a cross-member of the T-shaped graphite member is interposed between the threaded member and one end of the spring.

7 . The apparatus of claim 3 , the controller being operatively connected to the ejector head, the controller being further configured to:

operate the ejector head to change a spacing between the serially ejected melted metal drops that form the support structure surface.

8 . The apparatus of claim 3 , the controller being operatively connected to the ejector head, the controller being further configured to:

operate the ejector head to change a size of the serially ejected melted metal drops that form the support structure surface.

9 . The apparatus of claim 2 , the apparatus further comprising:

a member to which the ejector head and the housing are mounted; and

wherein the first actuator is operatively connected to the member so the operation of the first actuator moves the ejector head and the housing in tandem.

10 . The apparatus of claim 2 , the apparatus further comprising:

a first member to which the ejector head is mounted;

a second member to which the housing is mounted, the first member being different than the second member;

a second actuator operatively connected to the second member;

wherein the first actuator is operatively connected to the first member; and

the controller is operatively connected to the second actuator, the controller being configured to operate the first actuator and the second actuator to move the ejector head and the housing independently of one another.

11 . The apparatus of claim 10 , the controller is further configured to:

operate the second actuator to move the second member in three dimensional space.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , the controller is further configured to:

operate the first actuator to move the ejector head within a plane or along a single axis.

13 - 24 . (canceled)