A system may include a powder source; a powder delivery device; an energy delivery device; and a computing device. The computing device may be configured to: control the powder source to deliver metal powder to the powder delivery device; control the powder delivery device to deliver the metal powder to a surface of an abrasive coating; and control the energy delivery device to deliver energy to at least one of the abrasive coating or the metal powder to cause the metal powder to be joined to the abrasive coating.

An additive manufacturing system including a two-dimensional energy patterning system for imaging a powder bed is disclosed. Improved structure formation, part creation and manipulation, use of multiple additive manufacturing systems, and high throughput manufacturing methods suitable for automated or semi-automated factories are also disclosed.

A 3D-metal-printing method applies material layer-by-layer and selectively locally heats predetermined points above a sintering or melting temperature of the powder and sinters or fuses the melted points with the underlying layer and optionally tempers the points. The starting material layer and optionally at least one underlying layer is preheated to a temperature with a predetermined difference to the melting temperature, and near IR radiation is sequentially irradiated in sections into partial sections of the total area of the respective starting material layer, wherein the selective local heating above the sintering or melting temperature is carried out in each case for predetermined points within a preheated partial section.

A manipulator device such as a robot arm that is capable of increasing manufacturing throughput for additively manufactured parts, and allows for the manipulation of parts that would be difficult or impossible for a human to move is described. The manipulator can grasp various permanent or temporary additively manufactured manipulation points on a part to enable repositioning or maneuvering of the part.

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 method of additive manufacture suitable for large and high resolution structures is disclosed. The method may include sequentially advancing each portion of a continuous part in the longitudinal direction from a first zone to a second zone. In the first zone, selected granules of a granular material may be amalgamated. In the second zone, unamalgamated granules of the granular material may be removed. The method may further include advancing a first portion of the continuous part from the second zone to a third zone while (1) a last portion of the continuous part is formed within the first zone and (2) the first portion is maintained in the same position in the lateral and transverse directions that the first portion occupied within the first zone and the second zone.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include creating, by a 3D printer contained within an enclosure, a part having a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms. A gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure atmospheric level. In some embodiments, a wheeled vehicle may transport the part from inside the enclosure, through an airlock, as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock.

A method of additive manufacture suitable for large and high resolution structures is disclosed. The method may include sequentially advancing each portion of a continuous part in the longitudinal direction from a first zone to a second zone. In the first zone, selected granules of a granular material may be amalgamated. In the second zone, unamalgamated granules of the granular material may be removed. The method may further include advancing a first portion of the continuous part from the second zone to a third zone while (1) a last portion of the continuous part is formed within the first zone and (2) the first portion is maintained in the same position in the lateral and transverse directions that the first portion occupied within the first zone and the second zone.

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.