Additive Manufacturing System And Method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023311413-A1
Application number	US-202318310151-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 1, 2023
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 5, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system including a two-dimensional energy patterning system for imaging a powder bed is disclosed. Improved structure formation, part creation and manipulation, use of multiple additive manufacturing systems, and high throughput manufacturing methods suitable for automated or semi-automated factories are also disclosed.

First claim

1 . An additive manufacturing method, comprising:
providing an energy beam; positioning an optically addressable light patterning device to receive the energy beam and emit light as two-dimensional patterned beam, with the optically addressable light patterning device rejecting energy not required to form the two-dimensional patterned beam; and reusing rejected energy with a rejected energy handling device by performing one or more of:
relaying the rejected energy to an electricity generator;
relaying the rejected energy to a thermal management system;
recycling the rejected energy using beam shaping optics; and
directing the rejected energy to an article processing device to cause heating or further patterning of the a powdered material on the powder bed.

2 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a powdered material; providing an energy source that can produce an energy beam; directing the energy beam from the energy source toward an energy beam patterning device to form a two-dimensional patterned energy beam; directing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam against the powder material to form a part having a manipulation point; and moving the part using a manipulator device to engage the manipulation point.

3 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 2 , wherein the part comprises a printed structure formed from at least one of a metal, ceramic, plastic, glass metallic hybrid, ceramic hybrid, plastic hybrid, or glass hybrid material, and wherein the printed structure has one or more manipulation points capable of being engaged by a manipulator device.

4 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 3 , wherein the manipulation point is a structure projecting from the part.

5 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 3 , wherein the manipulation point is a temporary structure projecting from the part that is removable with a directed energy beam.

6 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 3 , wherein the manipulation point is a structure defined within the part.

7 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 3 , wherein the manipulation point is a structure defined within the part that includes a cavity.

8 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 3 , wherein the two-dimensional patterned energy beam is formed from multiple semiconductor lasers directed at an optically addressed light valve.

9 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
restricting, by an enclosure, an exchange of gaseous matter between an interior of the enclosure and an exterior of the enclosure; identifying a plurality of machines located within the enclosure; executing, by each machine of the plurality of machines, an independent process of additive manufacture comprising directing a patterned energy beam at a powder bed; and maintaining, by a gas management system during the executing, gaseous oxygen within the enclosure below atmospheric level.

10 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 9 , wherein the enclosure comprises an airlock interfacing between the interior and the exterior.

11 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating, by a first machine contained within a first enclosure, a first part via a first process comprising additive manufacture using a patterned energy beam, wherein the first part has a weight greater than or equal to 2000 kilograms; maintaining, by a first gas management system during the creating, gaseous oxygen within the first enclosure below atmospheric levels; transporting the first part from inside the first enclosure, through an airlock as the airlock operates to buffer between a gaseous environment within the first enclosure and a gaseous environment outside the first enclosure, and to a location exterior to both the first enclosure and the airlock; and continuously supporting the weight of the first part during the transporting.

12 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
relaying the two-dimensional patterned beam and focusing it as a two-dimensional image on a powder bed in an article processing device.

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

• Y02P80/40

  Minimising material used in manufacturing processes · CPC title

• G02B27/108

  for sampling a portion of a beam or combining a small beam in a larger one, e.g. wherein the area ratio or power ratio of the divided beams significantly differs from unity, without spectral selectivity · CPC title

• B29C64/286

  Optical filters, e.g. masks · CPC title

• Y02P10/25

  Process efficiency · CPC title