Patent ID: 8505560

Claim:
An apparatus for removing water-soluble support material from one or more rapid prototype parts, said apparatus comprising in combination: a retention tank having first, second, third, and fourth sidewalls and a base collectively joined together to form an interior chamber for containing and storing an aqueous cleaning solution with said first sidewall having an inlet opening extending therethrough; a box manifold having an outer casing externally attached to said first sidewall substantially over said inlet opening and a backing plate selectively configured with said outer casing to form an internal pressure box, said outer casing having an inlet adapter for passing therethrough the aqueous cleaning solution into said internal pressure box, said backing plate being relatively orientated parallel to said first sidewall and having a plurality of nozzle heads mounted thereto with each and every said nozzle head being held in a fixed perpendicular relation relatively to said backing plate to forcefully expel a jet stream of aqueous cleaning solution inward within said interior chamber and substantially toward said second sidewall oppositely positioned and relatively orientated parallel to said first sidewall to predominately establish a pattern of cross agitational flow of aqueous cleaning solution within said interior chamber relatively parallel to said third and fourth sidewalls; a drain box having an outlet opening and a drain intake in hydraulic communication with said interior chamber to supplementally develop and sufficiently maintain cross agitational flow of aqueous cleaning solution within said interior chamber in a non-whirlpool manner; means for heating the aqueous cleaning solution contained within said interior chamber to a predetermined temperature range; means for conveying the aqueous cleaning solution in and through said drain box and said box manifold; means for measuring the temperature of the aqueous cleaning solution contained within said interior chamber; and means for monitoring the aqueous cleaning solution level present within said interior chamber to correspondingly permit activation of said heating means and said conveying means for a predetermined time interval.