Patent classifications
B22F12/44
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM
A three-dimensional additive manufacturing device manufactures a layered structure by supplying powder for manufacturing the layered structure while changing the positional relationship between a discharge port from which the powder is discharged and the layered structure. The three-dimensional additive manufacturing device includes: a powder supply unit that supplies powder from the discharge port toward the layered structure; a light irradiation unit that irradiates the powder with a light beam to melt and harden the powder to thereby manufacture the layered structure; an imaging unit that captures an image of the manufacturing site where the layered structure is being manufactured; a distance detector that detects a distance from the manufacturing site to the powder supply unit on the basis of the image; and a feedback controller that adjusts a moving speed of the powder supply unit relative to the layered structure on the basis of a detection result of the distance.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LASER METAL POWDER DEPOSITION
A method and system for laser metal powder deposition using beam wobbling. The system may include a fiber laser configured to generate a laser beam and a laser head, the laser head configured to receive the laser beam from the fiber laser and including a collimator configured to collimate the laser beam, a wobbler module having first and second movable mirrors, and a focus lens configured to focus the collimated laser beam through a powder nozzle device such that a focal point location of the focused collimated laser beam is positioned below a workpiece surface. The powder nozzle device delivers metal powder to a region on the workpiece surface that is heated by the focused collimated laser beam.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUS, ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
An additive manufacturing apparatus that forms an object by repeating additive machining of melting a machining material and adding, onto a workpiece, the machining material solidified includes: a height measurement unit that measures a height of the object formed at a machining position; and a control unit that controls a machining condition for adding the machining material to the machining position on the basis of a measurement result provided by the height measurement unit.
Three-Dimensional Printing System with Offset Flat Field Unit
A three-dimensional printing system includes a motorized build platform, a material coating module, and a beam generation module. The beam generation module is configured to selectively fuse or harden material over a build plane. The build plane defines a centroid. The beam generation module includes a laser beam formation unit, a scan module, and flat field focusing component (FFFC). The scan module has a scanner optical axis that intersects the build plane at a location that is offset from the centroid. The FFFC is configured to focus the laser beam across the build plane. The FFFC includes a plurality of lenses at least one of which has an optical asymmetry relative to the scanner optical axis. The asymmetry includes one or more of a lateral offset with an offset distance D and an angular offset with an offset angle α.
Methods and systems for measuring base elements of a construction cylinder arrangement
The disclosure provides methods and systems for measuring a base element of a construction cylinder arrangement in machines for the additive manufacture of 3D objects using a high-energy beam, wherein a measurement pattern is produced from laser light that illuminates the base element, and sites of incidence of the laser light are monitored and evaluated with a camera to produce measuring data about the base element, e.g., position information, orientation information, and/or information about the shape of the surface of the base element. The measurement patterns are produced by deflecting measuring laser beams by an optical scanner system towards the base element, and the camera is arranged laterally offset from the deflected laser beams. The new methods and systems enable measuring base elements in a simple and flexible manner, and require only a small amount of space in the processing chamber.
Methods and systems for measuring base elements of a construction cylinder arrangement
The disclosure provides methods and systems for measuring a base element of a construction cylinder arrangement in machines for the additive manufacture of 3D objects using a high-energy beam, wherein a measurement pattern is produced from laser light that illuminates the base element, and sites of incidence of the laser light are monitored and evaluated with a camera to produce measuring data about the base element, e.g., position information, orientation information, and/or information about the shape of the surface of the base element. The measurement patterns are produced by deflecting measuring laser beams by an optical scanner system towards the base element, and the camera is arranged laterally offset from the deflected laser beams. The new methods and systems enable measuring base elements in a simple and flexible manner, and require only a small amount of space in the processing chamber.
Multi-Functional Ingester System For Additive Manufacturing
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.
Multi-Functional Ingester System For Additive Manufacturing
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.
METHOD FOR THE ABRUPT DISPLACEMENT OF A CONTINUOUS ENERGY BEAM, AND MANUFACTURING DEVICE
A method for displacing a continuous energy beam includes emitting a continuous energy beam in a direction of a powder material and displacing the energy beam by overlaying an optical deflection of the energy beam using of a deflection device and a mechanical deflection of the energy beam using of a scanner device. The mechanical deflection is configured to position the energy beam at a plurality of irradiation positions, and the optical deflection is configured to deflect the energy beam around each of the irradiation positions within a beam region of the deflection device onto at least one beam position in a sequence of beam positions. The optical deflection and the mechanical deflection are controlled such that the energy beam successively scans subsequences with an abrupt change of the optical deflection such that two spatially separated subsequences are successively adopted by the energy beam.
DETECTING OPTICAL ANOMALIES ON OPTICAL ELEMENTS USED IN AN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MACHINE
An additive manufacturing machine may include an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system may be configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing machine may include a light source configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements, and one or more light sensors configured to detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam reflected and/or transmitted by at least one of the one or more optical elements. The additive manufacturing machine may include a control system configured to determine, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether the one or more optical elements exhibit an optical anomaly.