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US 10,471,543 B2Granted
Laser-assisted additive manufacturing
AssigneeLawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
InventorStavros G. Demos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Laser additive manufacturing apparatus, systems, and methods for the fabrication of high quality freeform high value structures. The apparatus, systems, and methods utilize a material powder having varying particle size and shape as raw material. It can also be adopted to use a wire as the feed material.
Claims8
An additive manufacturing apparatus for producing a part, comprising:
- a linear additive manufacturing material supply, said linear additive manufacturing material supply including
- a free-fall nozzle;
- a moveable substrate on a substrate multi-axis motion system located below said free-fall nozzle;
- a stream of powder particles released by said free-fall nozzle, wherein said stream of powder particles extends between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate located below said free-fall nozzle;
- wherein said powder particles include a contaminated surface layer;
- first pulsed lasers that produce multiple first laser beams positioned symmetrically around said stream of powder particles and located between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate, wherein said multiple first laser beams contact said stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate remove said contamination from said powder particles;
- second continuous or quasi continuous lasers that produces multiple second laser beams positioned symmetrically around said stream of powder particles and located between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate, wherein said multiple second laser beams are directed to said stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate and wherein said multiple second laser beams melt said stream of powder particles forming a melted stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate located below said free-fall nozzle;
- wherein said moveable substrate receives said melted stream of powder particles and builds multiple layers of said melted stream of powder particles to produce the part, and
- at least one third laser that produces at least one third laser beam, wherein said third laser beam is directed to said moveable substrate and said powder particles to fuse said powder particles to said moveable substrate and generate surfaces that are more resistant to oxidation and other types of degradation.
6 more elements
An additive manufacturing apparatus for producing a part, comprising:
- a linear additive manufacturing material supply, said linear additive manufacturing material supply including
- a free-fall nozzle;
- a moveable substrate on a substrate multi-axis located below said free-fall nozzle;
- a stream of powder particles released by said free-fall nozzle, wherein said stream of powder particles extends between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate located below said free-fall nozzle, and wherein said powder particles include a contaminated surface layer;
- and
- continuous or quasi continuous lasers that produce multiple continuous or quasi continuous laser beams that are located below said free-fall nozzle and are positioned symmetrically around said stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate, wherein said multiple continuous or quasi continuous laser beams are directed to said stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate located below said free-fall, wherein said multiple continuous or quasi continuous laser beams melt said stream of powder particles forming a melted stream of powder particles between said free-fall nozzle and said moveable substrate, and
- wherein said moveable substrate receives said melted stream of powder particles and builds multiple layers of said melted stream of powder particles to produce the part.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.