Light recycling for additive manufacturing optimization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017123237-A1
Application number	US-201615337201-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 28, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	May 4, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

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.

First claim

1 . An apparatus, comprising:
one or more light sources configured to emit one or more beams of light; a first optical assembly configured to receive multiple beams of light including at least the one or more beams of light from the one or more light sources, the first optical assembly further configured to multiplex the multiple beams of light; an optical device configured to reshape and blend the multiple beams of light to provide a first beam of light; a spatial polarization valve configured to apply a spatial polarization pattern on the first beam of light to provide a second beam of light; a polarizer configured to split polarization states of the second beam of light to reflect a third beam of light; and a second optical assembly configured to reshape the third beam of light into a fourth beam of light, the second optical assembly further configured to introduce the fourth beam of light to the first optical assembly as one of the multiple beams of light to result in a fifth beam of light of which portions of are transmitted through and not reflected by the polarizer.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise at least a solid state laser.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise at least a semiconductor laser.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spatial polarization valve comprises an optically addressed light valve.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spatial polarization valve comprises a liquid crystal display device.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spatial polarization valve is configured to rotate the polarization state of one or more pixels.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the polarizer is configured to reflect one polarization state of the light of the second beam of light as the third beam of light and transmit the second polarization state.

8 . An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
a first optical assembly configured to receive multiple beams of light including at least the one or more beams of light from the one or more light sources, the first optical assembly further configured to multiplex the multiple beams of light; an optical device configured to reshape and blend the multiple beams of light to provide a first beam of light; a spatial polarization valve configured to apply a spatial polarization pattern on the first beam of light to provide a second beam of light directable toward a powder bed; a polarizer configured to split polarization states of the second beam of light to reflect a third beam of light; and a second optical assembly configured to reshape the third beam of light into a fourth beam of light, rotate its polarization state to that of the first beam of light, the second optical assembly further configured to introduce the fourth beam of light to the first optical assembly as one of the multiple beams of light to result in a fifth beam of light that is transmitted through and not reflected by the polarizer.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise at least a solid state laser or a semiconductor laser.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the spatial polarization valve comprises an optically addressed light valve or a liquid crystal display device.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the spatial polarization valve is configured to rotate the polarization state of one or more pixels.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the polarizer is configured to reflect an s-polarization state of the second beam of light as the third beam of light.

13 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the energy source is configured to provide the one or more incident beams to bond the powered materials by melting, sintering, alloying, or fusing of the powdered materials, or a combination thereof, to form one or more integral objects, and wherein the powdered materials comprise metallic, ceramic, and polymeric powders suitable for additive manufacturing.

14 . A method, comprising the steps of:
multiplexing, by a first optical assembly, multiple beams of light including at least one or more beams of light from one or more light sources; reshaping and blending, by an optical device, the multiple beams of light to provide a first beam of light; applying, by a spatial polarization valve, a spatial polarization pattern on the first beam of light to provide a second beam of light; splitting, by a polarizer, polarization states of the second beam of light to reflect a third beam of light; reshaping, by a second optical assembly, the third beam of light into a fourth beam of light; and introducing, by the second optical assembly, the fourth beam of light to the first optical assembly as one of the multiple beams of light to result in a fifth beam of light that is emitted through and not reflected by the polarizer.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the receiving of the multiple beams of light including at least one or more beams of light from the one or more light sources comprises receiving at least the one or more beams of light from at least a solid state laser or a semiconductor laser.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the applying of the spatial polarization pattern on the first beam of light comprises applying the spatial polarization pattern on the first beam of light by an optically addressed light valve or a liquid crystal display device.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the spatial polarization valve is configured to rotate the polarization state of one or more pixels to provide the second beam of light.

Assignees

• Seurat Tech Inc

Inventors

• Demuth James A
• Toomre Erik
• Leard Francis L
• Kamshad Kourosh
• Fees Heiner
• Berdichevsky Eugene

Classifications

• B22F10/39

  Traceability, e.g. incorporating identifier into a workpiece or article · CPC title

• B29C64/379

  Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots · CPC title

• B29C64/35

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B29C64/268 Primary

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title