Additive manufacturing of three-dimensional articles
AssigneeArcam AB
InventorMattias Fager
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for prolonging lifetime of a triod electron beam source when forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the method comprising the steps of: adjusting a cathode heating power at a predetermined value above a threshold heating value, which threshold heating value creates a predetermined X-ray signal emanating from the triod electron beam source, fusing the three-dimensional article with the electron beam source having the cathode heating power at a predetermined value above a threshold heating value.
Claims19
A method for prolonging lifetime of at least one electron beam source when forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the at least one electron beam source emitting an electron beam for at least one of heating or fusing the powder material, wherein the electron beam source comprises a cathode, an anode, and a grid between the cathode and anode;
- setting an electron beam current, a cathode heating power, a grid potential (Ug) and a cathode potential (Uc) to predetermined start values;
- reducing the cathode heating power with a predetermined value and decreasing a Uc-Ug potential difference for maintaining the predetermined electron beam current;
- detecting an X-ray signals emanating from the electron beam source with at least one X-ray detector;
- repeating said reducing and detecting steps until the detected X-ray signal is above a predetermined value;
- and
- increasing the cathode heating power by a predetermined safety value from a threshold heating power value which resulted in x-ray signals, emanating from the electron beam source, above the predetermined value.
An apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material so as to form the article, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one electron beam source emitting an electron beam for at least one of heating or fusing the powder material, where the electron beam source comprises a cathode, an anode, and a grid between the cathode and anode;
- an X-ray detector for detecting x-rays emanating from the at least one electron beam source;
- and
- at least one control unit, the at least one control unit being configured for:
- setting an electron beam current, a cathode heating power, a grid potential (Ug) and a cathode potential (Uc) to predetermined start values,
- reducing the cathode heating power with a predetermined value and decreasing a Uc-Ug potential difference for maintaining the predetermined electron beam current,
- detecting, via the at least one X-ray detector, X-ray signals emanating from the electron beam source,
- repeating the reducing and detecting steps until the detected X-ray signal is above a predetermined value, and
- increasing the cathode heating power by a predetermined safety value from a threshold heating power value which resulted in x-ray signals, emanating from the electron beam source, above the predetermined value, so as to establish a usable range of heating powers of a cathode element of the electron beam source.
A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising at least one executable portion configured for:
- setting an electron beam current, a cathode heating powder, a grid potential (Ug) and a cathode potential (Uc) to predetermined start values;
- reducing the cathode heating power with a predetermined value and decreasing a Uc-Ug potential difference for maintaining the predetermined electron beam current;
- detecting X-ray signal from the electron beam source with an X-ray detector;
- repeating the reducing and detecting step until the detected X-ray signal is above a predetermined value;
- and
- increasing the cathode heating power by a predetermined value from the value which resulted in x-ray signals above the predetermined value and using the electron beam for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article.
A method for prolonging lifetime of a triod electron beam source when forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the method comprising the steps of:
- adjusting a cathode heating power with a control unit at a predetermined value above a threshold heating value, which threshold heating value creates a predetermined X-ray signal emanating from the triod electron beam source;
- and
- fusing the three-dimensional article with the electron beam source having the cathode heating power at a predetermined value above a threshold heating value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.