Systems and methods for creating compensated digital representations for use in additive manufacturing processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751262-B2
Application number	US-201313930097-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2013
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A system for fabricating a component includes an additive manufacturing device and a computing device. The additive manufacturing device is configured to fabricate a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, which includes a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each corresponding to a layer of the first component. The computing device includes a processor, wherein for an i th layer of the first component, the processor is configured to (a) generate a cumulative compensation transformation; (b) apply the cumulative compensation transformation to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer; (c) determine a local compensation transformation; and (d) apply the local compensation transformation to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for fabricating a component, said system comprising:
an additive manufacturing device configured to fabricate a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, wherein the nominal digital representation comprises a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to a layer of the first component; and
a computing device coupled to said additive manufacturing device, said computing device comprising a memory device configured to store the nominal digital representation of the second component, said computing device further comprising a processor, wherein for an i th layer of the first component said processor is configured to:
(a) generate a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the i th layer, wherein for an initial layer of the first component, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation equal to an identity transformation, and wherein for a layer of the first component other than the initial layer, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation for the i th layer by applying a local compensation transformation corresponding to the (i−1) th layer to a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the (i−1) th layer;
(b) apply the cumulative compensation transformation associated with the i th layer to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer;
(c) determine a local compensation transformation for the i th layer, wherein the local compensation transformation for the i th layer of the first component is based upon a difference between a geometric characteristic of the i th layer and a corresponding geometric characteristic of the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer;
(d) apply the local compensation transformation for the i th layer to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer to create a compensated digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer; and
(e) perform (a) through (d) for at least one other layer of the first component; and
wherein said additive manufacturing device is further configured to fabricate a second component based upon the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said processor is further configured to generate a compensated digital representation of the second component based on the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the geometric characteristic includes at least one of a shape, an orientation, a length, a width, and a relative position.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said second component is an aircraft component.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said additive manufacturing device comprises a selective laser sintering device.

6. A method of fabricating a component using an additive manufacturing process, said method comprising:
fabricating a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, wherein the nominal digital representation comprises a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to a layer of the first component; and
for an i th layer of the first component:
(a) generating a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the i th layer, wherein for an initial layer of the first component, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation equal to an identity transformation, and wherein for a layer of the first component other than the initial layer, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation for the i th layer by applying a local compensation transformation corresponding to the (i−1) th layer to a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the (i−1) th layer;
(b) applying the cumulative compensation transformation associated with the i th layer to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer;
(c) determining a local compensation transformation for the i th layer, wherein the local compensation transformation for the i th layer of the first component is based upon a difference between a geometric characteristic of the i th layer and a corresponding geometric characteristic of the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer;
(d) applying the local compensation transformation for the i th layer to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer to create a compensated digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the i th layer; and
(e) performing (a) through (d) for at least one other layer of the first component; and
(f) fabricating a second component based upon the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 , further comprising generating a compensated digital representation of the second component based on the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

8. The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein fabricating the first component comprises a selective laser sintering process.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Graham Michael Evans
• Carter William Thomas
• Cheverton Mark Allen
• Yang Pinghai

Classifications

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G06T19/00

  Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/153 Primary

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title