This invention concerns a module for insertion into an additive manufacturing apparatus. The module comprising a frame mountable in a fixed position in the additive manufacturing apparatus, the frame defining a build chamber and a dosing chamber. A build platform is movable in the build chamber for supporting a powder bed during additive manufacturing of a part. A dosing piston is movable in the dosing chamber to push powder from the dosing chamber. A mechanism mechanically links the build platform to the dosing piston such that downward movement of the build platform in the build chamber results in upward movement of the dosing piston in the dosing chamber.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include creating, by a 3D printer contained within an enclosure, a part having a weight greater than or equal to 2,000 kilograms. A gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure atmospheric level. In some embodiments, a wheeled vehicle may transport the part from inside the enclosure, through an airlock, as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the enclosure and the airlock.

A control device for controlling an annealing apparatus that performs laser annealing by causing a laser beam to be incident on a surface of a semiconductor wafer and moving a beam spot of the laser beam on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, the control device making a sweep speed of the beam spot of the laser beam faster than twice a value obtained by dividing a thermal diffusivity of the semiconductor wafer by a thickness of the semiconductor wafer.

An apparatus for radial laser processing of a workpiece, located on a center axis, includes a laser beam scanner directing a laser beam along but offset from the center axis, and a bi-conical reflector system including first and second conical mirror surfaces surrounding the center axis. The first conical mirror surface faces away from the center axis to reflect the laser beam radially outwards therefrom, toward the second conical mirror surface. The second conical mirror surface faces the center axis to reflect the laser beam radially inwards toward the workpiece. The laser beam scanner azimuthally scans a location of incidence of the laser beam on the first conical mirror surface to scan an azimuthal angle of propagation of the laser beam from the second conical mirror surface toward the workpiece. The apparatus enables irradiation of the entire circumference of the workpiece without physically rotating the workpiece.

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.

An apparatus for laser processing of very wide non-woven fabric materials at high speeds. This invention enables a laser beam to sever, perforate and pattern a large piece of fabric materials planarly disposed at regular or irregular spatial intervals over the entire width while the fabric passes from one roller to another roller at high speeds by precisely managing focus and intensity of the beam at the focal point on the web. A control system managing the laser processing system enables rapid reconfiguration of perforation patterns. The fabric can be woven or nonwoven, homogeneous or nonhomogeneous material with uniform or nonuniform thickness. An optical sensor is provided to sense the laser processing as it is performed and provide feedback to a system controller to optimize laser processing performance in real time.

A method is proposed for producing a packaging, having a method step of microperforation of a flexible material as a packaging film, comprising: provision of the flexible material as a packaging film, transport of the flexible material over a transport section, provision of a laser in order to generate a perforation of the flexible material with its beam. For a packaging with improved gas exchange, a laser system with a wavelength in the range of from 150 nm to 1064 nm, preferably from 355 nm to 532 nm, is used for the laser, and the perforation with the laser is carried out during the movement of the flexible material of the packaging film during the transport.

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.

Provided is a laser processing apparatus configured to machine a corner portion of a sample by causing the corner portion to relatively approach a laser, the laser being emitted such that an optical axis of the laser extends in a predetermined direction, the corner portion being formed by a plurality of adjacent surfaces of the sample, the laser processing apparatus including: a detection unit provided at a position at least outside an irradiation region of the laser, the irradiation region extending in a tubular shape in a plan view intersecting the optical axis, the detection unit being configured to detect intensity of light reaching the position; approach control means for controlling an actuator relatively displacing the sample along a direction intersecting the optical axis such that the sample relatively approaches the optical axis; value acquisition means for acquiring the intensity of the light defined as a value detected by the detection unit in a predetermined positional relationship in which a tip of the corner portion has reached the irradiation region; and relationship determination means for determining a positional relationship between the laser and the sample based on the intensity of the light detected by the detection unit while the sample relatively approaches the optical axis.

A feed mechanism moves a workpiece relative to a cylindrical machining region of laser light. A light receiver receives the laser light that has passed through without being used for machining the workpiece. An intensity detector detects light intensity of the laser light thus received. A controller detects the end of machining on the basis of the light intensity thus detected.