Patent ID: 7799253

Claim:
A method of applying flowable particulate material across the surface of a substrate in individual superimposed layers to produce a three-dimensional object by selective solidification of the successive layers, in which method the flowable particulate material is introduced, from a material supply which has been introduced into a charging container, into an elongate, cross-sectionally hopper metering shaft over the entire length thereof, the metering shaft is moved back and forth over the substrate and, during the movement, the particulate material introduced is discharged downward in a continuous layer from a slot on the underside of the metering shaft and distributed uniformly, wherein the supply of flowable particulate material is uniformly distributed in the charging container, the charging container is moved over the substrate together with the metering shaft and, during the movement, the metering shaft is filled with flowable particulate material from the material supply such that the filling height in the metering shaft remains constant.