(19)
(11)EP 4 000 869 A3

(12)EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88)Date of publication A3:
15.06.2022 Bulletin 2022/24

(43)Date of publication A2:
25.05.2022 Bulletin 2022/21

(21)Application number: 21197970.3

(22)Date of filing:  21.09.2021
(51)International Patent Classification (IPC): 
B29C 64/124(2017.01)
B29C 64/232(2017.01)
B33Y 10/00(2015.01)
B29C 64/223(2017.01)
B29C 64/245(2017.01)
B33Y 30/00(2015.01)
(52)Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC):
B29C 64/245; B29C 64/124; B29C 64/223; B33Y 10/00; B33Y 30/00; B29C 64/232
(84)Designated Contracting States:
AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR
Designated Extension States:
BA ME
Designated Validation States:
KH MA MD TN

(30)Priority: 20.11.2020 US 202016953902

(71)Applicant: General Electric Company
Schenectady, NY 12345 (US)

(72)Inventors:
  • Dubelman, Meredith Elissa
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)
  • Barnhill, Christopher David
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)
  • Yang, Xi
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)
  • Nurre, Lawrence William
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)
  • Muhlenkamp, Trent William
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)
  • Thompson, Mary Kathryn
    Cincinnati, 45215 (US)

(74)Representative: Hafner & Kohl PartmbB 
Schleiermacherstraße 25
90491 Nürnberg
90491 Nürnberg (DE)

  


(54)FOIL INTERACTION DEVICE FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING


(57) An additive manufacturing apparatus (10) includes a support plate (14) and a foil (26) supporting an uncured layer of a resin. A stage (16) is configured to hold a component (12) of one or more cured layers of the resin. One or more actuators is operable to move the stage (16) away from the support plate (14) in a Z-axis direction. A radiant energy device (18) is positioned opposite the stage (16) such that the support plate (14) is positioned between the radiant energy device (18) and the stage (16). A foil interaction device (20) includes a first pneumatic actuation zone (56) and a second pneumatic actuation zone (56b). Each of the first and second pneumatic actuation zones (56) is configured to apply a force on a surface of the foil (26). The first and second pneumatic actuation zones (56) are fluidly separable and configured to apply varied pressures relative to one another to the surface of the foil (26).







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