An additive manufacturing apparatus is provided and may include at least one build unit; a build platform; and at least one collector positioned on the apparatus such that the at least one collector contacts an outer surface of a build wall as the build wall is formed during a build. Methods are also provided for manufacturing at least one object.

An additive manufacturing device is provided with a beam irradiation unit irradiating a conductive powder disposed in a layered shape with a beam, a nondestructive inspection unit detecting a flaw in a surface layer of an additively manufactured article formed of the hardened conductive powder, and an energy control unit controlling energy of the beam. The energy control unit increases energy of a beam when a repairing region set in accordance with results of flaw detection by the nondestructive inspection unit is irradiated with the beam.

An additive manufacturing apparatus utilizing combined electron beam selective melting and electron beam cutting. One electron beam emitting, focusing, and scanning device (6) is capable of emitting electron beams (67, 68) in three modes of heating, selective melting, and electron beam cutting. The electron beam in the heating mode is emitted to scan and preheat a powder bed (7). The electron beam (67) in the selective melting mode is emitted to scan and melt powder (71) in a section outline to form a section layer of a component. The electron beam (68) in the electron beam cutting mode is emitted to perform one or more cutting scans on inner and outer outlines (74, 75) of a section of the component to obtain accurate and smooth inner and outer outlines of the section. The heating, melting deposition, and outline cutting processes are repeated to obtain a required three-dimensional physical component.

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.

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.

An electron beam installation, which is used for processing powdered material, has a powder container, which can accommodate a powder bed made of the powdered material to be processed. Furthermore, it has an electron beam generator, which is configured to direct an electron beam onto laterally differing locations of the powder bed. To reduce the dispersion of the powdered material during the processing using the electron beam, the electron beam installation has a frit device, which, by applying an AC voltage between at least two electrodes, generates an electromagnetic alternating field, which bonds the powdered material of the powder bed, at least in regions over the powder bed.

Various embodiments include approaches for controlling an additive manufacturing (AM) process. In some cases, an AM system includes: a process chamber for additively manufacturing a component, the process chamber at least partially housing a plurality of distinct melting beam scanners, each of the distinct melting beam scanners configured to emit a melting beam, wherein each of the distinct melting beam scanners is independently physically movable within a corresponding region of the process chamber; and a control system coupled with the plurality of distinct melting beam scanners, the control system configured to control movement of at least one of the plurality of distinct melting beam scanners within the corresponding region based upon a geometry of the component.

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 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.

System and method for welding a precipitation-hardened superalloy, e.g., Nickel-based superalloy, article to produce a weld joint, wherein one or more sections are defined longitudinally within the entire length of the weld joint to be produced, melting of superalloy material adjacent the weld joint to be produced in one of the one or more sections is subsequently performed, by directing a power beam towards the section and longitudinally oscillating the power beam within the section, an intensity of the power beam and a frequency of oscillation of the power beam are selected such that the superalloy material adjacent the weld joint to be produced are caused to become uniformly heated and melt thereby producing the weld joint from the consolidation of the superalloy material so melted, where the weld joint is thereafter solidified by gradually reducing the power beam intensity while oscillating longitudinally the power beam within the section.