Patent ID: 11865616
Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A decaking system for 3D printing, comprising:
a platform to support multiple green parts in unbound powder surrounding the green parts;
a decaking tool to remove unbound powder from around the green parts;
a camera to photograph green parts on the platform as unbound powder is removed from around the green parts; and
a controller operatively connected to the camera and programmed to:
detect a pattern of light intensity in the photographs of the green parts; and
determine whether the pattern of light intensity that is detected matches a reference pattern by one or more of:
identifying more darker regions and fewer brighter regions in a pattern of a decaked green part compared to a pattern of caked green part;
identifying less darker regions and more brighter regions in a pattern of the decaked green part compared to the pattern of the caked green part; or
counting an increasing number of holes visible in the photographs; and
in response to a determination that the pattern of light intensity that is detected matches the reference pattern, modulate or stop the decaking tool.