An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects.

Disclosed herein are methods of bonding a multi-layer film to a substrate and resulting structures thereof. A method of laser bonding a multi-layer film to a substrate can include forming a film over a first surface of a first substrate that is transmissive to light at a first wavelength. The film may include a reflective layer that is reflective to light at the first wavelength and a refractive layer that is refractive to light at the first wavelength. The method may include irradiating a region of the film using laser radiation passing through the first substrate. A wavelength profile of the laser radiation can have a peak at about the first wavelength. The first wavelength can be between about 300 nm and about 5000 nm.

A jig structure for manufacturing heat dissipation unit includes a main body, which internally defines a chamber and has a top forming an upper side thereof. The top defines at least one opening, on which at least one silicon dioxide layer is provided. The chamber is in a vacuum-tight state or maintains a positive pressure inert gas atmosphere therein. The jig structure for manufacturing heat dissipation unit can be used with a laser machining tool to provide a better environment and increased flexibility for laser machining or laser welding in manufacturing a heat dissipation unit.

A system and method for producing continuous channels within a transparent material is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the system and method includes forming a channel with a laser beam, such that the continuous channel has at least one vent from the channel to outside the transparent material.

An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects.

A laser beam applying unit of a laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator adapted to emit a laser beam, a condenser adapted to focus the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and to thereby apply the laser beam to the workpiece held by a holding unit, and a liquid layer former disposed at a lower end portion of the condenser and adapted to form a layer of a liquid on an upper surface of the workpiece. The liquid layer former includes a casing having a bottom wall that forms a gap between itself and the upper surface of the workpiece, a liquid supply section adapted to supply the liquid to the casing, and a transparent section that is formed at the bottom wall adjacently to the jet port and that permits transmission of the laser beam therethrough.

A method of additive manufacture is disclosed. The method may include restricting, by an enclosure, an exchange of gaseous matter between an interior of the enclosure and an exterior of the enclosure. The method may further include running multiple machines within the enclosure. Each of the machines may execute its own process of additive manufacture. While the machines are running, a gas management system may maintain gaseous oxygen within the enclosure at or below a limiting oxygen concentration for the interior.

The present invention introduces a scanning arrangement and a method suitable for coating processes applying laser ablation. The arrangement is suited to prolonged, industrial processes. The arrangement comprises a target, which has an annular form. The laser beam direction is controlled by a rotating mirror locating along the center axis of the annular target. The scanning line will rotate circularly along the inner target surface when the mirror rotates. The focal point of the laser beams may be arranged to locate on the inner target surface to ensure a constant spot size. A ring-formed, a cylinder-shaped or a cut conical-shaped target may be used. The inner surface of the target may thus be tapered in order to control the release direction of the ablated material towards a substrate to be coated.

A method and an apparatus pertaining to recycling and reuse of unwanted light in additive manufacturing can multiplex multiple beams of light including at least one or more beams of light from one or more light sources. The multiple beams of light may be reshaped and blended to provide a first beam of light. A spatial polarization pattern may be applied on the first beam of light to provide a second beam of light. Polarization states of the second beam of light may be split to reflect a third beam of light, which may be reshaped into a fourth beam of light. The fourth beam of light may be introduced as one of the multiple beams of light to result in a fifth beam of light.

A method and an apparatus pertaining to polarization combining in additive manufacturing may involve emitting two or more beams of light with a first intensity. Each of the two or more beams of light may be polarized and may have a majority polarization state and a minority polarization state. A respective polarization pattern may be applied on the majority polarization state of each of the two or more beams of light. The two or more beams of light may be combined to provide a single beam of light.