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.

The present disclosure describes three-dimensional (3D) printing apparatuses, processes, software, and systems for producing high quality 3D objects. Described herein are printing apparatuses that facilitate control of water vapor concentration during one or more printing operations.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber comprises a first window, a second window, a substrate support disposed between the first window and the second window, and a motorized rotatable radiant spot heating source disposed over the first window and configured to provide radiant energy through the first window.

A laser welding system for welding a component and reducing defects in the weld by ensuring uniform, laminar gas flow over a process area of the system. The laser welding system comprises a laser for welding the component, a platform for supporting the component, an enclosure surrounding the platform, a first actuatable barrier, a second actuatable barrier, an actuator, and a controller. The enclosure includes a plurality of walls, one of the walls having an inlet and another wall having an outlet. The inlet and outlet each having an opening having a cross-sectional area for letting gas flow through. The first and second barriers are configured to modify the cross-sectional areas of the openings when actuated. The actuator is configured to actuate the barriers, and the controller is configured to direct the actuator to actuate the barriers so that the cross-sectional area of the first opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of the second opening so that a pressure at the inlet is greater than a pressure at the outlet.

An exhaust manifold for an additive manufacturing system includes a manifold housing, at least one baffle movable relative to the manifold housing configured to modify an exhaust flow area defined in part by the at least one baffle, and an actuator operatively connected to the at least one baffle configured to move the at least one baffle. The manifold housing defines a housing channel. The at least one baffle can be one or more moveable baffles at least partially disposed within the housing channel and configured to move relative to the housing to modify a respective exhaust flow area of a respective baffle of the one or more moveable baffles. The actuator is operatively connected to each of the one or more movable baffles and configured to move the one or more movable baffles relative to the housing.

A method and system is provided for laser piercing of thick plate material that allows for rapid transition to a cutting operation that can reliably produce a piercing hole and complete a cutting operation of the intended shape in a short time, while improving the cutting quality of the cutting after switching from the piercing operation. The cutting nozzle has a centrally located laser. The piercing operation applies a laser beam to the cut work while axially supplied pure oxygen gas is applied towards the cutting work. Additionally, a direction controlled nozzle adjacent the main cutting port provides a discharge of high pressure compressed air non-axially relative to the cutting operation to clear excess molten metal and debris from the kerf thereby increasing the efficiency of the piercing and shortening the cycle time.

A laser processing device for processing shielded conductors includes a processing chamber configured to process an end portion of a shielded conductor disposed therein using laser radiation. The processing chamber has a housing defining an opening. In a processing position of the laser processing device, the end portion of the shielded conductor is inserted along an insertion axis into the opening and extends into the processing chamber. A gripping device is configured to fix the shielded conductor in the opening in the processing position of the laser processing device. In the processing position of the laser processing device, the gripping device is positioned at the housing without contact therebetween. The gripping device includes a first projection portion which extends at least partially into the opening along the insertion axis in the processing position of the laser processing device.

Systems and methods for laser beam welding in a vacuum and for controlling laser beam welding processes, such as for use in manufacturing aerospace parts, are described herein. In some embodiments, a laser beam welding system can include an optical head movably positioned within a vacuum chamber. The optical head can be configured to direct a laser beam toward a part positioned within the vacuum chamber to melt and fuse the part.

There is provided a method of forming cutting blades using selective laser melting comprising positioning a first part of an elongate strip (30) with pre-formed teeth (32) within a powder bed (20), forming coating layers layer-by-layer to create a cutting surface on each pre-formed tooth by repeatedly depositing a layer of powder on the powder bed and scanning a laser beam over the deposited powder to fuse powder to the pre-formed teeth.