Electron Beam Patterning System in Additive Manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025010543-A1
Application number	US-202418888821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2024
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and an apparatus involve applying a pattern on an addressable patternable cathode unit. The cathode unit is stimulated to emit an electron beam pattern. A patterned image in the electron beam pattern is positioned to a desired position such directly to as a powder bed for additive manufacturing or to an electron beam addressed light valve for controlling spatial patterns on an optical signal for powder bed manufacturing.

First claim

1 . An additive manufacturing system comprising:
a material dispenser dispensing powdered material to form a powder layer on a powder bed; and a lens assembly relaying a patterned energy beam to a top surface of the powder layer, wherein the lens assembly is vertically movable relative to the powder bed, wherein a distance between final optics of the lens assembly and the top surface of the powder layer is controlled to be essentially constant by indexing the final optics according to a distance equivalent to a thickness of the powder layer.

2 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein a volume of the powdered material to be dispensed is greater than 0.1 cubic meter or heavier than 500 kilograms.

3 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the powdered material is metallic.

4 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein a build platform supporting the powder bed is kept at a fixed height.

5 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 4 , further comprising a thermal regulation system embedded in walls of the build platform.

6 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the powder bed is contained by a walled chamber.

7 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the pattern energy beam is a two-dimensional patterned beam.

8 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 7 , further comprising a light patterning unit that receives an energy beam and emit light as the two-dimensional patterned beam.

9 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 8 , wherein the light patterning unit is optically addressable.

10 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 8 , wherein the light patterning unit rejects energy not required to form the two-dimensional patterned beam.

11 . The additive manufacturing system of claim 10 , further comprising a rejected energy handling unit to reuse the rejected energy.

12 . An additive manufacturing method comprising:
dispensing powder to form a powder layer on a powder bed; and relaying a patterned energy beam to a top surface of the powder layer using a lens assembly, wherein the lens assembly is vertically movable relative to the powder bed; and controlling a distance between final optics of the lens assembly and the top surface of the powder layer to be essentially constant by indexing the final optics according to a distance equivalent to a thickness of the powder layer.

13 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein a volume of the powdered material to be dispensed is greater than 0.1 cubic meter or heavier than 500 kilograms.

14 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein the powdered material is metallic.

15 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein a build platform supporting the powder bed is kept at a fixed height.

16 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 15 , wherein a thermal regulation system is embedded in walls of the build platform.

17 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein the powder bed is contained by a walled chamber.

18 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein the pattern energy beam is a two-dimensional patterned beam.

19 . The additive manufacturing method of claim 12 , wherein energy not required to form the two-dimensional patterned beam is rejected and reused.

Assignees

• Seurat Tech Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B29C64/245

  Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/286

  Optical filters, e.g. masks · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/268

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