Back to results
US 10,766,197 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for selective laser sintering an object with a void
AssigneeHexcel Corporation
InventorsScott DeFelice, Anthony DeCarmine
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of producing an object from a polymer powder using a laser sintering system, whereby the laser sintering system introduces heat energy to solidify select points of a layer of polymer powder according to build data of the object and adjusts the heat energy according to solidification of select points of other layers.
Claims18
A selective laser sintering method, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing build data of an object, the build data comprising a plurality of cross-section patterns according to geometric description data for the object, each of the cross-section patterns comprising data specifying points in the cross-section intended for solidification, and the plurality of cross-section patterns including a cross-section pattern for a layer L0, a cross-section pattern for a layer L−1, and a cross-section pattern for a layer L−2 wherein the layer L−1 is a layer below the layer L0, and the layer L−2 is a layer below the layer L−1;
- (ii) applying a polymer powder layer L0 coinciding with the build layer L0 on a bed of a laser sintering system;
- (iii) determining an amount of heat energy to introduce by electromagnetic radiation to solidify a point at a first x-y position in the powder layer L0, the point at the first x-y position being intended for solidification according to the cross-section pattern for the build layer L0;
- (iv) adjusting the amount of heat energy to introduce at the first x-y position in the powder layer L0 using a controller programmed to make the adjustment based on whether the build data specifies solidification of a point at the first x-y position in the cross-section pattern for the layer L−1 and the cross section pattern for the layer L−2, wherein the adjustment is made to inhibit unwanted fusion between the first x-y position in the powder layer L0 and the first x-y position in the layer L−1;
- and
- (v) solidifying the point at the first x-y position in the polymer powder layer L0 by introducing the adjusted amount of heat energy.
3 more elements
A method of solidifying an x-y position in a coating of a polymer powder during a selective laser sintering build process, the method including the steps of:
- (i) providing build data for a plurality of layers in a selective laser sintering build, the plurality of layers comprising a current layer, a first layer below the current layer, a second layer below the first layer, and a third layer below the second layer, and the build data specifying a plurality of points for solidification in each of the layers, the plurality of points specified for solidification in the current layer including a point at an x-y position in the current layer;
- (ii) applying a coating of a polymer powder coinciding with the current build layer on a bed of the laser sintering system;
- (iii) determining an amount of heat energy to introduce by an electromagnetic radiation source to solidify the point at the x-y position in the current powder layer;
- (iv) adjusting the amount of heat energy to introduce by the electromagnetic radiation source to solidify the point at the x-y position in the current powder layer using a controller programmed to make the adjustment based on whether the build data specifies solidification of a point at the x-y position in two or more of:
- the build data for the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer, wherein the adjustment is made to inhibit unwanted fusion between the current layer and the first layer;
- and
- (v) introducing the adjusted amount of heat energy for solidification at the x-y position in the current coating of powder.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.