Additive manufacturing systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875094-B2
Application number	US-201815940315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2018
Priority date	Mar 29, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Aspects described herein relate to additive manufacturing systems and related methods. An additive manufacturing system may include two or more laser energy sources and associated optical fibers. An optics assembly may be constructed and arranged to form a rectangular laser energy pixel associated with each laser energy source. Each pixel may have a substantially uniform power density, and the pixels may be arranged to form a linear array of laser energy pixels on a build surface with no spacing between the pixels. Exposure of a portion of a layer of material on the build surface to the linear array of laser energy pixels may melt the portion of the layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing system comprising:
a build surface;
two or more laser energy sources;
two or more optical fibers, each optical fiber configured to transmit laser energy from a first end coupled to an associated laser energy source of the two or more laser energy sources and out of a second end, wherein the second ends of the two or more optical fibers are arranged along a line; and
an optics assembly constructed and arranged to shape the laser energy output from each optical fiber to form a laser energy pixel associated with each laser energy source, wherein the laser energy pixels are arranged to form a linear array of laser energy pixels on the build surface, and wherein exposure of a layer of material on the build surface to the linear array of laser energy pixels melts at least a portion of the layer of material,
wherein the optics assembly comprises at least one lens array including one or more micro-lenses and one or more objective lenses positioned after the at least one lens array along an optical path of the optics assembly, and
wherein the one or more micro-lenses and one or more objective lenses are configured to control a shape, size, and spacing of the laser energy pixels.

2. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the laser energy output from each optical fiber has a round beam shape, and the at least one lens array is configured to transform the laser energy output from each optical fiber into a rectangular beam shape having a substantially uniform power density.

3. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more objective lenses are configured to demagnify the laser energy output from the at least one lens array to form the linear array of laser energy pixels on the build surface.

4. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein each laser energy source of the two or more energy sources is independently controllable to adjust a power level of an associated laser energy pixel.

5. The additive manufacturing system of claim 4 , wherein adjusting the power level of one or more laser energy pixels adjusts a power density along the linear array of laser energy pixels.

6. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the optics assembly is configured to move the linear array of laser energy pixels along a direction perpendicular to the linear array of laser energy pixels.

7. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a fiber mount coupled to the optics assembly, wherein the fiber mount is arranged to receive the second ends of the optical fibers and define a spacing between adjacent second ends of the optical fibers.

8. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the optics assembly is at least one of translatable and rotatable relative to the build surface.

9. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein each laser energy source comprises a fiber laser.

10. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein each laser energy source comprises a diode laser.

11. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein a maximum power output from each laser source is between about 200 W and about 1000 W.

12. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the linear array of laser energy pixels forms a homogenous line of laser energy on the build surface.

13. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a material depositing system configured to deposit the layer of material onto the build surface.

14. The additive manufacturing system of claim 13 , wherein the layer of material comprises a metal powder, and the material depositing system is configured to spread the metal powder on the build surface.

15. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the laser energy pixels comprises a rectangular laser energy pixel, and wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a substantially uniform power density.

16. The additive manufacturing system of claim 15 , wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a width between or equal to about 50 micrometers and about 200 micrometers.

17. The additive manufacturing system of claim 16 , wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a width of about 100 micrometers.

18. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein each laser energy pixel has a substantially uniform power density.

19. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein there is no spacing between adjacent laser energy pixels.

20. An additive manufacturing system comprising:
a build surface;
two or more laser energy sources;
two or more optical fibers, each optical fiber configured to transmit laser energy from a first end coupled to an associated laser energy source of the two or more laser energy sources and out of a second end, wherein the second ends of the two or more optical fibers are arranged in an array; and
an optics assembly constructed and arranged to shape the laser energy output from each optical fiber to form a laser energy pixel associated with each laser energy source, wherein the laser energy pixels are arranged to form an array of laser energy pixels on the build surface, and wherein exposure of a layer of material on the build surface to the array of laser energy pixels melts at least a portion of the layer of material,
wherein the optics assembly comprises at least one lens array including one or more micro-lenses and one or more objective lenses positioned after the at least one lens array along an optical path of the optics assembly, and
wherein the one or more micro-lenses and one or more objective lenses are configured to control a shape, size, and spacing of the laser energy pixels.

21. The additive manufacturing system of claim 20 , wherein each of the laser energy pixels comprises a rectangular laser energy pixel, and wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a substantially uniform power density.

22. The additive manufacturing system of claim 21 , wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a width between or equal to Roftl about 50 micrometers and Rton about 200 micrometers.

23. The additive manufacturing system of claim 22 , wherein each rectangular laser energy pixel has a width of about 100 micrometers.

24. The additive manufacturing system of claim 20 , wherein each laser energy pixel has a substantially uniform power density.

25. The additive manufacturing system of claim 20 , wherein the laser energy output from each optical fiber has a round beam shape, and the at least one lens array is configured to transform the laser energy output from each optical fiber into a rectangular beam shape having a substantially uniform power density.

26. The additive manufacturing system of claim 25 , wherein the one or more objective lenses are configured to demagnify the laser energy output from the at least one lens array to form the array of laser energy pixels on the build surface.

27. The additive manufacturing system of claim 20 , wherein each laser energy source of the two or more energy sources is independently controllable to adjust a power level of an associated laser energy pixel.

28. The additive manufacturing system of claim 27 , wherein adjusting the power level of one or more laser energy pixels adjusts a power density along the array of laser energy pixels.

29. The additive manufacturi

Assignees

• Vulcanforms Inc

Inventors

• Feldmann Martin C
• Komsta Jan Pawel
• Sweetland Matthew

Classifications

• B23K26/0732 Primary

  into a rectangular shape · CPC title

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• Y02P10/25

  Process efficiency · CPC title

• B22F12/46

  with translatory movement · CPC title

• B22F12/60

  Planarisation devices; Compression devices · CPC title