An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include restricting, by an enclosure, an exchange of gaseous matter between an interior of the enclosure and an exterior of the enclosure. The method may further include running multiple machines within the enclosure. Each of the machines may execute its own process of additive manufacture. While the machines are running, a gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure at or below a limiting oxygen concentration for the interior.

A high etendue modular finite conjugate lens assembly has a zooming component with multiple lens groups, including four lens groups that each feature a doublet, and a lens attachment lens assembly comprising a fifth doublet, wherein the lens assembly is configured to exhibit between 0.45 and 4.65 mm.sup.2sr of etendue, and a ratio of highest to lowest magnification between 5.5:1 and 16:1, and a magnification of at least 2× at one or more points of a zoom range.

A light source capable of operating third and fourth reflection mirrors included in a beam splitting device in conjunction with movements of first and second reflection mirrors included in a beam transfer device and an optical assembly, respectively. The third and fourth reflection mirrors are disposed on optical paths of a pre-pulse and a main pulse emitted from first and second pulse generators, respectively. The light source operates the third and fourth reflection mirrors to offset an excessive compensation of the main pulse caused in a process of compensating for an optical path error of the pre-pulse. The light source may be included in an extreme ultraviolet light source system.

A light source module includes a solid-state light emitter, a reflective mirror, a light integration box, and a light sensor. The solid-state light emitter is configured to emit light. The reflective mirror is configured to turn a first part of the light and allow a second part of the light to pass. The light integration box is disposed in a path of the second part of the light and has an entrance. The second part of the light passes through the entrance to enter into the light integration box and is uniformly mixed in the light integration box. The light sensor is disposed on the light integration box to receive the second part of the light.

Techniques are provided for laser illumination employing closely spaced laser beams. A system implementing the techniques according to an embodiment includes a semi-cylindrical optical block comprising a curved surface and a planar surface. A first laser source to generate a first laser beam directed to the planar surface, wherein the first laser beam enters the optical block at a first angle that exceeds a critical angle, relative to the planar surface, the critical angle causing total internal reflection, such that the first laser beam is refracted through and exits the optical block. A second laser source to generate a second laser beam directed to the curved surface, wherein the second laser beam enters the optical block at a second angle that exceeds the critical angle, relative to the planar surface, such that the second laser beam is reflected off the planar surface and exits the optical block parallel to the first laser beam exiting from the optical block, the separation based on a location of the entry of the first laser beam into the optical block. The separation of the exiting first and second laser beams is controlled by the selected translation distance.

A method and an apparatus of a powder bed fusion additive manufacturing system that enables a quick change in the optical beam delivery size and intensity across locations of a print surface for different powdered materials while ensuring high availability of the system. A dynamic optical assembly containing a set of lens assemblies of different magnification ratios and a mechanical assembly may change the magnification ratios as needed. The dynamic optical assembly may include a transitional and rotational position control of the optics to minimize variations of the optical beam sizes across the print surface.

A method and an apparatus for collecting powder samples in real-time in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing may involves an ingester system for in-process collection and characterizations of powder samples. The collection may be performed periodically and uses the results of characterizations for adjustments in the powder bed fusion process. The ingester system of the present disclosure is capable of packaging powder samples collected in real-time into storage containers serving a multitude purposes of audit, process adjustments or actions.

The present invention relates to a deflection unit (10) having an optical element (20), which partly reflects a first wavelength and which partly transmits a different, second wavelength. The deflection unit defines an operating beam path traversed by the operating beam (14) from a first window (12) to a second window (24) via a reflection at the optical element (20). The deflection unit comprises an XY-deflection device (22), which is arranged in the operating beam path in order to scan the operating beam that has emerged, a focusing device (16) for focusing the operating beam (14), wherein the focusing device has a variable focal length and is arranged in the operating beam path between the first window (12) and the optical element (20).

A finite conjugate optical assembly, comprising a lens with a core zoom module that includes five optical groups that are configured to exhibit at least 1.58 mm.sup.2sr of etendue at a lowest magnification position, and a ratio of highest to lowest magnification of at least 7:1, and to provide a maximum magnification of 2× or greater.