Additive manufacturing with irradiation filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018319082-A1
Application number	US-201615765074-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Nov 8, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An additive manufacturing apparatus or method may include an irradiation structure, an irradiation filter to filter at least a part of the radiation, to transmit a narrower wavelength range than the received wavelength range to the media.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising
a fusing agent dispenser to dispense fusing agent onto media, an irradiation structure, including an irradiation source to radiate energy onto the media and an at least partly transparent cover, an irradiation filter at a distance from the cover to block at least a part of the radiation, to transmit a narrower wavelength range than the received wavelength range to the media.

2 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the distance between the filter and the cover is such that in operational conditions the temperature of the cover is kept below approximately 400 degrees Celsius.

3 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the irradiation source is an infrared light source and the filter is at least one of
a short pass filter to at least partly block wavelengths above approximately 2.2 micron, and
a long pass filter to at least partly block wavelengths below approximately 1.3 micron.

4 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the irradiation source has a peak intensity in the 0.5-2 micron wavelength range.

5 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cover comprises glass.

6 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the filter is at least one of
an absorptive filter, and
a reflective filter.

7 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 comprising a filter cooling mechanism that cools the filter.

8 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 comprising a filter holder to couple and decouple the filter.

9 . A set of:
the apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said filter is a first replaceable filter, and another replaceable filter that has different characteristics than the first replaceable filter, the different characteristics comprising at least one of
blocking different wavelengths ranges;
different heat exchange characteristics; and
different absorptive or reflective characteristics.

10 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein
the irradiation structure further comprises a heat source, and
the filter is positioned to cover the infrared light source but not the heat source.

11 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , comprising
a media stage to support the media during additive manufacturing, a media manipulating structure above the stage, wherein the media manipulating structure comprises the irradiation structure with said filter and a media distributor, and the filter extends over a width of the stage.

12 . The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the media is powder and the fusing agent is ink.

13 . An additive manufacturing method comprising:
irradiating energy towards additive manufacturing media, transmitting a narrower wavelength range than the originally irradiated energy using a filter positioned between an irradiation structure and the media at a distance from the irradiation source so that
heat generated by the radiation that is absorbed or reflected by the filter is prevented from increasing the temperature of the irradiation structure beyond an operational temperature range, and
partial or complete fusing of not-to-be-fused media is inhibited.

14 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 13 wherein
the media is powder, and
the irradiated energy includes heat and infrared radiation, further comprising
distributing a layer of powder,
dispensing fusing agent onto a powder layer, and
irradiating the powder layer through a filter that filters the infrared radiation so that the transmitted radiation has wavelengths below approximately 2.2 micron, wherein the to-be-fused portion of the powder layer reaches a temperature above 100 degrees Celsius, on average during irradiation, and the not-to-be-fused portion of the powder layer reaches a temperature below 60 degrees Celsius, on average during irradiation.

15 . An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising
a media stage for supporting additive manufacturing media, an irradiation structure, including an irradiation source to radiate energy towards the stage, an irradiation filter holding structure to hold a filter between the irradiation structure and the stage at a distance from the irradiation structure, to filter at least a part of the radiation, to allow wavelengths of a narrower wavelength range than the originally emitted wavelength range to pass through towards the stage.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Barnes Arthur H
• Kaiser Pierre J

Classifications

• B29C64/165 Primary

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/286 Primary

  Optical filters, e.g. masks · CPC title

• B29C64/264

  Arrangements for irradiation · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title