Patent ID: 8147620

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 walls and a base collectively forming an interior chamber for containing and storing an aqueous cleaning solution, said base having an aperture extending therethrough and adaptably fitted with a valve for selectively controlling flow of the aqueous cleaning solution from said interior chamber into an external sump collector, said wall having intake and outlet apertures extending therethrough; intake and outlet piping passing through said intake and outlet apertures of the wall, said intake and outlet piping each having one end attached to intake and outlet sides of a pump and a second end attached to a basket strainer and an inlet port of a pressurized cavity, respectively, said pressurized cavity having a back side and a front side with a plurality of orifices situated thereabout; means for heating the aqueous cleaning solution contained within said interior chamber to a predetermined temperature range; means for measuring temperature of the aqueous cleaning solution contained within said interior chamber; means for controlling said heating means based on inputs transmitted thereto and received from said temperature measuring means to maintain operability within the predetermined temperature range; a removable jet plate separably dividing said interior chamber into first and second compartments for housing therewithin said pressurized cavity, said heating means and said basket strainer and for receiving therewithin one or more rapid prototype parts, respectively, said removable jet plate having a plurality of fluid passage apertures each being selectively positioned to align with said orifice; an interface plate having a plurality of port openings each being selectively positioned to align with said fluid passage aperture of the removable jet plate; and a level indicator positioned internally in said first compartment at a predetermined distance above said orifices for transmitting level measurements of the aqueous cleaning solution present in said interior chamber to said controlling means to selectively activate said heating means and said pump for a predetermined time interval as set by a timer.