Patent ID: 7347682

Claim:
Apparatus for the production of a workpiece, comprising: a) a vertically movable and substantially horizontal work table the work table comprising means for holding powdered starting material such that an area covered by the powdered starting material exceeds an outer contour of the workpiece being produced; and b) a vertically and horizontally movable processing unit mounted over the work table, the processing unit comprising: i.) at least one radiation source; ii.) at least one guiding device, separate from any device for providing workpiece starting material, for guiding a beam emanating from the radiation source onto a work surface of the workpiece being produced; iii.) at least one processing device for mechanically finishing in powdered starting material at least one surface of the workpiece being produced, and iv.) at least one feeding device, separate from the at least one guiding device, for providing powdered workpiece starting material throughout the mechanical finishing, wherein the movement of each of the work table, the processing unit and the at least one processing device is controlled by a computerized control unit.