In one example, a process for loading a build material powder supply container for 3D printing includes, with a floor of the supply container at or near a top of the supply container, dispensing build material powder into a loading chamber surrounding the top of the supply container and on to the floor, compacting powder in the loading chamber, and lowering the floor with the compacted powder into the supply container.

A method of compensating for sintering warpage due to powder spreading density variations in binder jetting additive manufacturing, including receiving an initial design file defining an object geometry, representing the object geometry as a part mesh and filling the mesh with a grid of voxels to create a voxel grid, each voxel having at least one shrinkage coefficient. For each voxel, determining a distortion factor caused by a powder density variation induced during a powder spreading process and adjusting the at shrinkage coefficient of each voxel according to its respective distortion factor. Next, a shrinkage of the grid of voxels is simulated according to a sintering process. A negative compensation is applied to the voxel grid, according to the simulated shrinkage of the grid of voxels, to form a compensated voxel grid. Lastly, the change in the voxel grid is mapped to the compensated voxel grid onto the part mesh to create a pre-processed compensated part mesh.

A method of compensating for sintering warpage due to powder spreading density variations in binder jetting additive manufacturing, including receiving an initial design file defining an object geometry, representing the object geometry as a part mesh and filling the mesh with a grid of voxels to create a voxel grid, each voxel having at least one shrinkage coefficient. For each voxel, determining a distortion factor caused by a powder density variation induced during a powder spreading process and adjusting the at shrinkage coefficient of each voxel according to its respective distortion factor. Next, a shrinkage of the grid of voxels is simulated according to a sintering process. A negative compensation is applied to the voxel grid, according to the simulated shrinkage of the grid of voxels, to form a compensated voxel grid. Lastly, the change in the voxel grid is mapped to the compensated voxel grid onto the part mesh to create a pre-processed compensated part mesh.

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by solidifying selected areas of consecutive powder layers is provided. At least one electron beam successively irradiates predetermined sections of each powder layer by moving an interaction region in which the electron beam interacts with the powder layer. Electromagnetic radiation from a radiation source is directed onto the powder layer to reduce local electrostatic charging in the interaction region. In this way, levitation and scattering of charged powder will be avoided.

A fabrication apparatus includes a loading unit including a stage onto which powder is supplied, a rotator that rotates while moving to flatten the powder on the stage to form a powder layer, a solidification device that applies a fabrication liquid to the powder layer on the stage to solidify the powder layer to form a fabrication layer, and circuitry. The powder layer includes a first powder layer and a second powder layer. The circuitry causes the rotator to move and rotate to form the first powder layer having a cyclic uneven surface and form the second powder layer on the first powder layer. The second powder layer has an uneven surface that is in phase with the cyclic uneven surface.

Methods and apparatus for recoating parameter control are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a blade holder, a blade, and a control element disposed within the blade holder, the control element to move the blade between a first position and a second position, the apparatus having a first stiffness when the blade is in the first position, the apparatus having a second stiffness when the blade is in the second position, the first stiffness greater than the second stiffness.

A High Energy Beam Processing (HEBP) system provides feedback signal monitoring and feedback control for the improvement of process repeatability and three-dimensional (3D) printed part quality. Signals reflecting process parameters and the quality of the fabricated parts are analyzed by monitoring feedback signals from artifact sources with a process controller which adjusts process parameters. In this manner, fabricated parts are produced more accurately and consistently from powder feedstock by compensating for process variation in response to feedback signals.

Arrangement and method for generating a layer of a particulate building material in a 3D printer in which a quantity of applied material is increased while keeping the quality constant and forces acting on the construction site during application, smoothing and compacting of the particulate building material is reduced. The arrangement includes: a first assembly having a device for applying the particulate building material to a construction site moveable thereover; a second assembly spatially separate from the first assembly and which has a device for smoothing the applied particulate building material. In terms of the method: in a first step, applying the particulate building material to the construction site with the arrangement above and movable over the construction site; and in a second step, following in time and independent of the first step, smoothing the applied particulate building material, the first and second steps performed in a single movement.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, and systems using, inter alia, a controller that regulates formation of at least one 3D object (e.g., in real time during the 3D printing); and a non-transitory computer-readable medium facilitating the same. For example, a controller that regulates a deformation of at least a portion of the 3D object. The control may be in situ control. The control may be real-time control during the 3D printing process. For example, the control may be during a physical-attribute pulse. The present disclosure provides various methods, apparatuses, systems and software for estimating the fundamental length scale of a melt pool, and for various tools that increase the accuracy of the 3D printing.

The present invention disclosed a method of producing a three-dimensional porous tissue in-growth structure. The method includes the steps of depositing a first layer of metal powder and scanning the first layer of metal powder with a laser beam to form a portion of a plurality of predetermined unit cells. Depositing at least one additional layer of metal powder onto a previous layer and repeating the step of scanning a laser beam for at least one of the additional layers in order to continuing forming the predetermined unit cells. The method further includes continuing the depositing and scanning steps to form a medical implant.