Method and apparatus for generating a work piece containing an information code

A method for generating a three-dimensional work piece, the method comprising the steps:

• applying a raw material powder onto a carrier by means of a powder application device,
• irradiating electromagnetic or particle radiation onto the raw material powder applied onto the carrier by means of an irradiation device,
• controlling the operation of the powder application device and the irradiation device so as to generate an information code pattern on or in the work piece, wherein the information code pattern is defined by the microstructure of the work piece, and
• controlling the operation of the powder application device and the irradiation device so as to tailor the microstructure of the work piece such that the information code pattern forms a linear barcode.

A method for generating a three-dimensional work piece, the method comprising the steps:

• applying a raw material powder onto a carrier by means of a powder application device,
• irradiating electromagnetic or particle radiation onto the raw material powder applied onto the carrier by means of an irradiation device,
• controlling the operation of the powder application device and the irradiation device so as to generate an information code pattern on or in the work piece, wherein the information code pattern is defined by the microstructure of the work piece, and
• controlling the operation of the powder application device and the irradiation device so as to tailor the microstructure of the work piece such that the microstructure of the work piece is defined by at least one of a size of grains, a grain morphology and a texture, wherein, in particular, the grain morphology and/or the texture of the microstructure is defined by at least one of a substantially directionally/dendritically solidified grain morphology, a substantially polycrystalline grain morphology, a substantially globulitic grain morphology, an anisotropic texture, an isotropic texture and a spatial direction of an anisotropic texture with respect to a build direction.