Wire-based additive manufacturing system and method
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorMark Francis Rudnicki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wire based additive manufacturing system includes a base movable in a feed direction. Multiple welding lasers are each spatially fixed as the base moves in the feed direction. Multiple cutting lasers are each spatially fixed as the base moves in the feed direction. Multiple wire feed members each feed an individual wire of a plurality of wires onto the base as the base moves in the feed direction. Each one the multiple welding lasers is energized to fuse parallel adjoining ones of the plurality of wires, and each one of the cutting lasers is energized to cut one of the fused wires to complete one of a plurality of wire layers.
Claims20
A wire based additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- a base movable in a feed direction;
- at least one welding laser;
- at least a first cutting laser and a second cutting laser;
- at least a first wire feed member feeding a first wire onto the base as the base moves in the feed direction;
- and
- at least a second wire feed member feeding a second wire onto the base and parallel to the first wire as the base moves in the feed direction;
- wherein the at least one welding laser is energized to fuse the first wire to the second wire, the first cutting laser is energized to cut the first wire and the second cutting laser is energized to cut the second wire to complete a wire layer.
A wire based additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- a base movable in a feed direction;
- multiple welding lasers each spatially fixed as the base moves in the feed direction;
- multiple cutting lasers each spatially fixed as the base moves in the feed direction;
- and
- multiple wire feed members each feeding an individual wire of a plurality of wires onto the base as the base moves in the feed direction;
- wherein each one the multiple welding lasers is energized to fuse parallel adjoining ones of the plurality of wires, and each one of the cutting lasers is energized to cut one of the fused wires to complete one of a plurality of wire layers.
A method for operating a wire based additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- moving a base in a feed direction;
- spatially fixing multiple welding lasers and multiple cutting lasers as a welding assembly with respect to the base as the base moves in the feed direction;
- operating multiple wire feed members to feed individual wires of a plurality of wires onto the base as the base moves in the feed direction;
- energizing each one the multiple welding lasers to fuse parallel adjoining ones of the plurality of wires;
- and
- energizing each one of the cutting lasers to cut one of the fused wires to complete one of a plurality of wire layers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.