Improvements to additive manufacturing

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus for post-processing an additively manufactured polymer part, comprising a reservoir ( 402 ) for containing a liquid solvent; a processing chamber ( 408 ) in controllable fluid communication with the reservoir; and a controller ( 418 ) configured to controllably post-process an additively manufactured polymer part located in the processing chamber by the solvent responsive to at least one parameter associated with the part. A method for post-processing an additively manufactured polymer part is also provided.

1 - 45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . Apparatus for post-processing an additively manufactured polymer part, comprising:
 a reservoir for containing a liquid solvent;
 a processing chamber in controllable fluid communication with the reservoir; and 
 a controller configured to controllably post-process an additively manufactured polymer part located in the processing chamber by the solvent responsive to at least one parameter associated with the part. 
   
     
     
         47 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 46 , wherein the at least one parameter comprises a material of the part, a desired surface roughness of the part, and/or a geometric property of the part including surface area, volume, dimension, and/or part complexity. 
     
     
         48 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 46 , further comprising a vacuum pump operably controllable by the controller and configured to apply a negative pressure to an interior of the processing chamber. 
     
     
         49 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate the vacuum pump for a predetermined time to apply a negative pressure in the processing chamber. 
     
     
         50 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 46 , further comprising a solvent delivery valve operably controllable by the controller to allow a predetermined amount of solvent to be selectively drawn into the processing chamber by the negative pressure applied therein. 
     
     
         51 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 46 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a solvent delivery system located upstream of the processing chamber and operably controllable by the controller for selectively receiving solvent from the reservoir and introducing a predetermined amount of solvent into the processing chamber. 
     
     
         52 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 51 , wherein the solvent delivery system comprises a pump and a dosing valve for controlled delivery of the predetermined amount solvent into the processing chamber. 
     
     
         53 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 52 , wherein the solvent delivery system further comprises a heating element configured to controllably heat the predetermined amount of solvent to a predetermined solvent temperature. 
     
     
         54 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 53 , wherein the predetermined solvent temperature causes the solvent to vaporise. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 46 , further comprising a heater for controlled heating of an interior of the processing chamber to a predetermined chamber temperature. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 48 , wherein the vacuum pump is further configured to selectively vent the processing chamber to atmosphere when the negative pressure has been reapplied to extract solvent vapour from the processing chamber and from the part located therein. 
     
     
         57 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 56 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a solvent recovery system to recover used solvent from the processing chamber. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 57 , wherein the solvent recovery system comprises a condenser to separate solvent from air. 
     
     
         59 . A method of post-processing an additively manufactured polymer part, comprising:
 locating an additively manufactured polymer part in a processing chamber; and   responsive to at least one parameter associated with the part, controllably post-processing the part by a solvent controllably introduced into the processing chamber.   
     
     
         60 . The method as claimed in  claim 59 , wherein the at least one parameter comprises a material of the part, a desired surface roughness of the part, and/or a geometric property of the part including surface area, volume, dimension, and/or complexity. 
     
     
         61 . The method as claimed in  claim 59 , further comprising selectively delivering a predetermined amount of solvent into the processing chamber. 
     
     
         62 . The method as claimed in  claim 61 , further comprising applying a negative pressure to an interior of the processing chamber for a predetermined time. 
     
     
         63 . The method as claimed in  claim 62 , further comprising using the negative pressure to selectively deliver the predetermined amount of solvent into the processing chamber. 
     
     
         64 . The method as claimed in  claim 61 , further comprising heating the predetermined amount of solvent to a predetermined solvent temperature to cause the solvent to vaporise prior to entering the processing chamber. 
     
     
         65 . The method as claimed in  claim 59 , further comprising either:
 selectively heating an interior of the processing chamber to a predetermined chamber temperature; or   creating an energy potential between an AM part located in the processing chamber and the solvent.   
     
     
         66 . The method as claimed in  claim 65 , further comprising selectively cooling an AM part located in the processing chamber to create the energy potential and cause solvent vapour to condense on the AM part. 
     
     
         67 . A computer program comprising a computer readable non-transitory medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, the computer readable program code comprising program instructions configured to execute the method as claimed in  claim 59 . 
     
     
         68 . Use of a solvent to controllably post-process an additively manufactured polymer part responsive to at least one parameter associated with the part. 
     
     
         69 . The use as claimed in  claim 68 , further comprising at least one of:
 selectively creating an energy potential between an AM part and the solvent;   selectively controlling a solvent temperature and an AM part temperature wherein the solvent temperature is greater than the AM part temperature; or   heating the solvent to a predetermined solvent temperature and cooling the AM part to create a desired temperature gradient there-between to cause solvent vapor to condense on the AM part for a predetermined processing time.