RTX Corporation
ADDITIVE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract:

An additive processing method includes providing a cover gas in a chamber in connection with additive fabrication of an article in the chamber, the cover gas entraining impurities during the additive fabrication, circulating the cover gas with entrained impurities from the chamber into a gas recirculation loop, removing the entrained impurities from the cover gas in the gas recirculation loop to generate a clean cover gas, circulating the clean cover gas into the chamber during the additive fabrication, and metering an amount of new cover gas provided into the chamber from a cover gas source connected to the chamber, the amount being metered with respect to an amount of the clean cover gas circulated into the chamber from the gas recirculation loop.