Examples of a system for additive manufacturing are described. The system comprises a powder reservoir for storing the metal powder operatively coupled to a working chamber that includes a powder feeder with a housing that defines an inner cavity with an inlet and a number of nozzles in communication with the inner cavity of the powder feeder defining an outlet of the feeder. The number of nozzles are positioned around a center axis of a generated energy beam. A powder feeder's driver is configured to drive flow of the powder through the nozzles directly into a beam path such that an exact amount of the powder is placed into the beam path to be melted or sintered onto a powder bed.

A deposition head for a three-dimensional printer with at least one pay-out device which comprises several wire spools, each spool having a wire to be deposited simultaneously with the other wires, a drive system having a drive roller with several grooves, one for each wire to be deposited simultaneously, a wire guide which has a first end, a second end close to a deposition zone during operation, and also a passage hole opening out at each of the first and second ends, the passage hole having several passage sections at the second end, one for each wire to be deposited simultaneously, and each passage section having a section substantially identical to the section of the wire to be guided.

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 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 machine tool arranged to deliver an energy source through a processing head onto a work-piece, wherein; the machine-tool has a clamping mechanism arranged to temporarily receive the processing-head, or another machining or processing-head, to process a work-piece; the processing-head comprising one or more guiding mechanisms arranged to direct the energy source onto a work-piece and a processing-head docking-manifold arranged to have connected thereto one or more media to be, in use, supplied to the processing-head to facilitate processing of the work-piece; wherein the processing-head docking-manifold allows the one or more media to be supplied to the processing-head when the processing-head is connected to the clamping mechanism; and wherein the machine-tool also comprises at least one mechanism arranged to move a supply docking-manifold into and/or out of connection with the processing-head docking-manifold such that when the two manifolds are connected the or each media is supplied to the processing head.

A method is provided for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the method comprising the steps of: providing at least one electron beam source emitting an electron beam for at least one of heating or fusing the powder material, where the electron beam source comprises a cathode, an anode, and a Wehnelt cup between the cathode and anode; providing a guard ring between the Wehnelt cup and the anode and in close proximity to the Wehnelt cup, where the guard ring is having an aperture which is larger than an aperture of the Wehnelt cup; protecting the cathode and/or the Wehnelt cup against vacuum arc discharge energy currents when forming the three-dimensional article by providing the guard ring with a higher negative potential than the Wehnelt cup and cathode.

A method comprising the steps of: distributing a titanium alloy or pure titanium powder layer on a work table inside a vacuum chamber, directing at least one electron beam from at least one electron beam source over the work table causing the powder layer to fuse in selected locations, distributing a second powder layer on the work table of a titanium alloy or pure titanium inside the build chamber, directing the at least one electron beam over the work table causing the second powder layer to fuse in selected locations, and releasing a predefined concentration of the gas from the metal powder into the vacuum chamber when at least one of heating or fusing the metal powder layer, wherein at least one gas comprising hydrogen is absorbed into or chemically bonded to the titanium or titanium alloy powder to a concentration of 0.01-0.5% by weight of the hydrogen.

A method for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a metal powder bed is provided, comprising the steps of: distributing a first metal powder layer on a work table inside a build chamber, directing at least one high energy beam from at least one high energy beam source over the work table causing the first metal powder layer to fuse in selected locations, distributing a second metal powder layer on the work table, directing at least one high energy beam over the work table causing the second metal powder layer to fuse in selected locations, introducing a first supplementary gas into the build chamber, which first supplementary gas comprising hydrogen, is capable of reacting chemically with or being absorbed by a finished three-dimensional article, and releasing a predefined concentration of the gas which had reacted chemically with or being absorbed by the finished three dimensional article.

The invention relates to a feeding device (1) for feeding welding filler elements (310) for deposition welding processes, a positioning sleeve (300, 302) for a feeding device (1), a processing unit and a method for deposition welding. In particular, the invention relates to a feeding device (1) for feeding welding filler elements (310), in particular a wire-shaped and/or rod-shaped welding filler element (310), for a deposition welding processes, comprising a receiving unit (100) for receiving at least one welding filler element (310), a guide unit (200), which is arranged and designed to feed the welding filler element (310) to a deposition welding processes, the receiving unit (100) and the guide unit (200) being arranged and designed such that the welding filler element (310) is provided discontinuously to the guide unit (200).

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.