Patent ID: 11878466
Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 12:
13. A 3D printer having a sealing assembly comprising:
a barrier comprised of a pair of sealing curtains positioned to cover and seal an aperture, the barrier arranged so that portions of a printhead carriage are placed at separate sides of the barrier, a first curtain in the pair of sealing curtains being positioned at a first side of the printhead carriage and a second curtain being positioned at a second side the printhead carriage that is opposite the first side;
spooling and unspooling mechanisms that comprise a primary pair of spools and a secondary pair of spools disposed on the printhead carriage, the first curtain being attached to a first spool in the primary pair of spools and the second curtain being attached to a second spool in the primary pair of spools, the pair of sealing curtains being spooled and unspooled by the primary pair of spools in response to movement of the printhead carriage while maintaining a sealing relationship with the aperture; and
a pair of protective curtains attached to the secondary pair of spools, the pair of protective curtains being positioned to overlap with the primary pair of sealing curtains to reduce particulate pollution on the primary pair of sealing curtains.