A 3D printer successively fuses sheet material in a stack to form a three-dimensional object. The sheet material may provide a mesh separating islands of material that will be fused to produce the desired three-dimensional object. The mesh provides support for the island material during the fusing process and may be removed afterwards.

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing processes, apparatuses, software, and systems for the production of at least one desired 3D object. The 3D printer system (e.g., comprising a processing chamber, build module, or an unpacking station) described herein may retain a desired (e.g., inert) atmosphere around the material bed and/or 3D object at multiple 3D printing stages. The 3D printer described herein comprises one or more build modules that may have a controller separate from the controller of the processing chamber. The 3D printer described herein comprises a platform that may be automatically constructed. The invention(s) described herein may allow the 3D printing process to occur for a long time without operator intervention and/or down time.

A selective laser sintering system includes a leveling roller having a first orientation. The leveling roller is configured to roll over a first feed bin. The build chamber is configured to receive, from the first feed bin and by the leveling roller, a transfer of a portion of matrix material. The selective laser sintering system is configured to transfer the portion to the build chamber in a number of orientations.

A nozzle according to one embodiment has an inner surface and an outer surface, and is provided with a first passage through which an energy ray passes, and a second passage that is provided between the inner surface and the outer surface, and through which powder and fluid pass. The second passage includes a second open end on one end thereof in a first direction. A first surface that is one of the inner surface and the outer surface includes a first edge on one end thereof in the first direction. A second surface that is the other one of those includes a second edge on one end thereof in the first direction, and is distanced from the first edge toward the first direction. The fluid ejected from the second open end flows along the second surface, and separates at the second edge.

One aspect is an apparatus including a plurality of additively manufactured components each having an adhesive injection channel. The components are connected together such that adhesive injection channels are aligned to form an adhesive path that allows adhesive flow between the components. Another aspect is an apparatus, including an additively manufactured component having an adhesive injection channel and an adhesive flow mechanism comprising at least one of an adhesive side end effector or a vacuum side end effector, the adhesive flow mechanism configured to provide adhesive to the adhesive injection channels.

A system and method of monitoring a powder-bed additive manufacturing process using a plurality of energy sources is provided. A layer of additive powder is deposited on a powder bed and is fused using a first energy source, a second energy source, or any other suitable number of energy sources. The electromagnetic energy emissions at a first melt pool are monitored by a melt pool monitoring system and recorded as raw emission signals. The melt pool monitoring system may also monitor emissions from the powder bed using off-axis sensors or from a second melt pool using on-axis sensors, and these emissions may be used to modify the raw emission signals to generate compensated emission signals. The compensated emission signals are analyzed to identify outlier emissions and an alert may be provided or a process adjustment may be made when outlier emissions exceed a predetermined signal threshold.

A method of processing by controlling one or more beam characteristics of an optical beam may include: launching the optical beam into a first length of fiber having a first refractive-index profile (RIP); coupling the optical beam from the first length of fiber into a second length of fiber having a second RIP and one or more confinement regions; modifying the one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam in the first length of fiber, in the second length of fiber, or in the first and second lengths of fiber; confining the modified one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam within the one or more confinement regions of the second length of fiber; and/or generating an output beam, having the modified one or more beam characteristics of the optical beam, from the second length of fiber. The first RIP may differ from the second RIP.

A stress controlled layer is constituted to include a compressive stress applied part that is a region to which a compressive stress is applied and a compressive stress non-applied part that is a region different from the compressive stress applied part. In a solidifying step, scanning of a laser beam or an electron beam is performed while a scanning direction for the compressive stress applied part is different from a scanning direction for the compressive stress non-applied part such that the compressive stress applied part expands further than the compressive stress non-applied part or the compressive stress non-applied part shrinks compared with the compressive stress applied part based on a relationship between the scanning direction and an expansion quantity or a shrinkage quantity at a time of temperature change or at a time of heat treatment.

A stress controlled layer is constituted to include a compressive stress applied part that is a region to which a compressive stress is applied and a compressive stress non-applied part that is a region different from the compressive stress applied part. In a solidifying step, scanning of a laser beam or an electron beam is performed while a scanning direction for the compressive stress applied part is different from a scanning direction for the compressive stress non-applied part such that the compressive stress applied part expands further than the compressive stress non-applied part or the compressive stress non-applied part shrinks compared with the compressive stress applied part based on a relationship between the scanning direction and an expansion quantity or a shrinkage quantity at a time of temperature change or at a time of heat treatment.

An additive manufacturing apparatus is provided. The additive manufacturing apparatus may include a stabilizing system; a build platform on the stabilizing system; and a build unit positioned over the build platform, wherein the build unit comprises a powder dispenser and a recoater blade. Methods are also provided for making an object from powder.