Powder recovery

The POST PROCESS area is regarding Editorials & News by the IntegrAM Network and related technologic partners. It is divided in four main titles.
POST PROCESS
All kinds of post process technologies, referred to all kinds of Additive Manufacturing process.
• DECAKING
• POWDER RECOVERY
• POWDER MIXING AND TRANSPORTATION
This term is mainly referring to a cake as a build coming from an Addittive Manufacturing Job. De-caking in other words means to de-structurate a build from its powder;
Powder of builds coming from SLS or MJF or even SLM, DMLS, EBM, and similar process.
The de-structuration is that kind of post-process with the aim to de-powder the build, or recover its powder fraction from the solid components 3D printed inside of it.
The IntegrAM network has developed a specific innovation called DCK-ALL-IN-ONE, a fully automatic system that can be used to de-structurate a build (at the moment this technology is available only for polymers, so SLS and MJF), recover the powder, if required/foreseen select the powder removing the droplets from the re-usable additive powder, as soon as the solid components are free from the main part of the additive powder, they are automatically transferred to a following section of the system providing the prepare the surface with a special kind of sand blasting process very respectous of the components, also delicate ones, called: VibroBLAST – in some version of the DCK systems it is also possible to re-mix the recovered additive powders to new ones and transport them to a collection point – at the end of the DCK-ALL-IN-ONE automatic cycle, the solid components are free from powder, droplets and ready to follow further finishing or coating steps – the operator has just to:
A. Load the build in the top loading chamber
B. Pick up the parts after surface preparation cycle end