Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring a powder layer in additive manufacturing are disclosed. A method of monitoring a powder layer includes receiving image data corresponding the powder layer supported by a powder bed within a build chamber from imaging devices, determining leading and trailing regions of interest located adjacent to a leading end and a trailing end of the moving powder distributor, respectively, the leading and trailing regions of interest moving according to movement of the moving powder distributor, selecting at least one point located in the leading region of interest from the image data, determining first characteristics of the point, when the point is located within the trailing region of interest, determining second characteristics of the point, and comparing the first characteristics to the second characteristics.

A method for producing a three-dimensional molded object includes forming a solidified layer, calculating a laser power, calculating a scanning speed, calculating a beam diameter, and determining that the solidified layer is poor when the laser power is outside a first reference range related to the laser power, the scanning speed is outside a second reference range related to the scanning speed, or the beam diameter is outside a third reference range related to the beam diameter.

A method for manufacturing small adaptive engines uses a battlefield repository having cloud services that is configured to enable additive manufacturing (AM) of engine parts and assemblies. The method also uses a compilation of recipes/signatures for building the engine parts and the assemblies using additive manufacturing (AM) processes and machine learning programs. An additive manufacturing system and an alloy powder suitable for performing the additive manufacturing (AM) processes can be provided. In addition, the engine parts can be built using the additive manufacturing (AM) system, the alloy powder, the battlefield repository and the compilation of recipes/signatures. A system for manufacturing small adaptive engines includes the battlefield repository, the compilation of recipes/signatures, a foundry system for providing the alloy powder and an additive manufacturing (AM) system configured to perform the additive manufacturing (AM) processes.

Embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein can related to an additive manufacturing process involving the use of an algorithm to determine the optimal build orientation of a build that will result in minimal thermal distortion during the build. The algorithm includes a momentum of inertia based objective function, wherein the output of the objective function can be used as a proxy for thermal distortion. In some embodiments, objective function can be configured as a mathematical matrix with mathematical variables modeling rotation angles of a build. The rotation angles can be in the x-, y-, and/or z-geometric planes of the build with respect to the build plate. An objective function output can be calculated for each iterative rotation. The minimum objective function output can be used as the rotation representing the orientation that would result in minimal thermal distortion.

A method of applying a plurality of energy beams in the additive manufacture of a component includes a) providing a first and a second energy beam, each set up for the irradiation of a layer of a powder bed, wherein the first beam scans over a first irradiation area and the second beam scans over a second irradiation area, wherein the first and second irradiation areas are substantially arranged adjacent to each other and form part of a manufacturing plane, and b) assigning a scan vector to be scanned in the first irradiation area by the second energy beam, when a melt pool generated by the second energy beam during the scan of the vector is expected to cause less overlap with a powder bed outside of the component's geometry than a melt pool generated by the first energy beam would cause during the scan of the vector.

Disclosed are powder mixtures for use in the manufacture of three dimensional objects. In the respective powder mixtures, a first material includes an aluminium alloy or a mixture of elemental precursors thereof, and is in powder form. The second material includes a metal powder of Zr and/or Hf. By the addition of the second material, it is possible to prepare three dimensional objects with high ultimate tensile strength and yield strength by additive manufacturing. Further disclosed are processes for the preparation of corresponding powder mixtures and three dimensional objects, the three dimensional objects themselves, devices for implementing the processes, and uses of the powder mixture.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, an additive manufacturing device is described. The additive manufacturing device includes a build material distributor to deposit layers of powdered build material onto a bed. At least one energy source selectively fuses portions of the layer of powdered build material to form a slice of a three-dimensional (3D) printed object. A detailing agent distributor of the additive manufacturing device generates a uniform property distribution across a portion of the layer of powdered build material by depositing a detailing agent.

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a laser and a detection system. The laser emits a laser beam to heat a powder bed to form a melt pool, and the melt pool emits light proportional to a temperature of the melt pool. The detection system includes a spectral disperser and one of a) two or more on-axis sensors or b) a line scanner. The two or more on-axis sensors or the line scanner are/is located along an axis of the emitted light, the detection system receives the emitted light from the melt pool, and an intensity of the emitted light detected by the a) two or more on-axis sensors or the b) line scanner is compared with a blackbody spectral map at a particular wavelength of the emitted light to determine a temperature of the melt pool.

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a laser and a detection system. The laser emits a laser beam to heat a powder bed to form a melt pool, and the melt pool emits light proportional to a temperature of the melt pool. The detection system includes a spectral disperser and one of a) two or more on-axis sensors or b) a line scanner. The two or more on-axis sensors or the line scanner are/is located along an axis of the emitted light, the detection system receives the emitted light from the melt pool, and an intensity of the emitted light detected by the a) two or more on-axis sensors or the b) line scanner is compared with a blackbody spectral map at a particular wavelength of the emitted light to determine a temperature of the melt pool.

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.