Systems and methods for additive manufacturing, and, in particular, such methods and apparatus as employ pulsed lasers or other heating arrangements to create metal droplets from donor metal micro wires, which droplets, when solidified in the aggregate, form 3D structures. A supply of metal micro wire is arranged so as to be fed towards a nozzle area by a piezo translator. Near the nozzle, an end portion of the metal micro wire is heated (e.g., by a laser pulse or an electric heater element), thereby causing the end portion of the metal micro wire near the nozzle area to form a droplet of metal. A receiving substrate is positioned to receive the droplet of metal jetted from the nozzle area.

Provided are a jet device and systems and methods using the jet device for manufacturing objects by additive manufacturing, especially titanium and titanium alloy objects, wherein the jet device directs a cooling gas across a liquid molten pool, or to impinge on the liquid molten pool, or to impinge upon a solidified material adjacent to a liquid-solid boundary of the liquid molten pool, or to impinge on an as-solidified material, or any combination thereof, during the additive manufacturing process. The application of the cooling gas can result in an additively manufactured metal product having refined grain structure with a high proportion of the grains being approximately equiaxed, and can yield an additively manufactured product exhibiting improvements in strength, fatigue resistance, and durability.

A laser processing method for laser processing of a workpiece made of a base material and a fiber reinforced composite material containing fibers having a thermal conductivity and a processing threshold higher than physical properties of glass fibers. The laser processing method includes a step of processing the workpiece by forming a plurality of through-holes extending through the workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with pulsed laser light from a processing head while relatively moving the workpiece and the processing head in a predetermined cutting direction. The pulsed laser light has a pulse width smaller than 1 ms and an energy density capable of forming each of the through-holes by a single pulse.

A method and system is provided for laser piercing of thick plate material that allows for rapid transition to a cutting operation that can reliably produce a piercing hole and complete a cutting operation of the intended shape in a short time, while improving the cutting quality of the cutting after switching from the piercing operation. The cutting nozzle has a centrally located laser. The piercing operation applies a laser beam to the cut work while axially supplied pure oxygen gas is applied towards the cutting work. Additionally, a direction controlled nozzle adjacent the main cutting port provides a discharge of high pressure compressed air non-axially relative to the cutting operation to clear excess molten metal and debris from the kerf thereby increasing the efficiency of the piercing and shortening the cycle time.

An apparatus for fabricating a part, comprising a curved shaft; a build plate connected to the curved shaft; a motor; and a transmission connecting the motor and the curved shaft. The build plate moves along a curved path having a radius of curvature originating on an axis when the transmission transfers power from the motor to the curved shaft. Material deposited on the build plate along the curved path forms the part comprising a solid of revolution around the axis. In one or more examples, the part is an aircraft engine inlet.

A nozzle is configured for receiving and dispensing a 3D printer filament. The nozzle includes a barrel, a heating element, and an end tip. The barrel has an internal bore and an exterior surface. The internal bore has a filament receiving end and a filament discharge end. A heat break is defined in the exterior surface of the barrel. The heating element is proximate the filament discharge end. The heating element includes a heating wire wrapped around the exterior surface of the barrel. The end tip is proximate the filament discharge end. The 3D filament is received in the filament receiving end heated by the heating element and dispensed through end tip proximate the filament discharge end.

The disclosure relates to a frictional brake element for a friction brake of a motor vehicle, in particular brake disk, having a main element which is manufactured in particular from grey cast iron and which has at least one wear protection layer applied to the main element and at least one intermediate layer situated between the wear protection layer and the main element. It is provided that the intermediate layer is a metallic intermediate layer applied by laser deposition welding.

A powder feed device for an additive manufacturing system that includes an energy source to transform powder in a melt pool. The device includes a plurality of powder vessels that are configured to mate with a powder feed intake that delivers powder to the additive manufacturing system. A vessel actuator can selectively mate ones of the plurality of powder vessels with the powder feed intake. Each of the plurality of powder vessels can include a carrier gas inlet.

A laser irradiation head includes a lower housing provided with a through-hole, a holder, and a first protective glass held by holder. Lower housing is provided with a holder insertion hole. Lower housing has an upper surface in which through-hole is opened. The holder has a holder upper surface. The laser irradiation head includes a seal member accommodated in a groove and a plunger that elastically biases holder. Assuming a groove cross section of groove located at a most distal end in an insertion direction of holder, plunger biases holder after the groove cross section passes an opening surface of through-hole in upper surface when holder is attached.

An additive manufacturing method uses an additive manufacturing device performing additive machining by controlling a machining head including a nozzle to supply columnar build material to a machining region on a target surface and a beam nozzle to irradiate the machining region with beam melting the build material, the nozzle and the beam nozzle being provided non-coaxially. When additive machining is performed in a state where the machining head is located with central axes of the beam and the build material being positioned on a single vertical plane, the machining path is divided into divided machining paths such that the machining head is moved in one direction along a direction of the build-material central axis when motion of the machining head is projected onto a plane perpendicular to an irradiation direction of the beam, and the machining head is moved along each divided machining path to perform additive machining.