# US 11,077,523 B2 · Method and device in particular for generatively producing and coding a three-dimensional component

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- Number: US 11,077,523 B2
- Document ID: US11077523B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/300,084
- Filed: 2017-05-12
- Published: 2019-06-13
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-13
- Assignees: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Jürgen Scholz; Ernst Miklos; Jim Fieret; Pierre Foret
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077523B2

## CPC

- B22F 3/105: by using electric current {other than for infrared radiant energy}, laser radiation or plasma (B22F3/11 takes precedence){; by ultrasonic bonding (B22F3/115 takes precedence)}
- B22F 10/32: of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
- B22F 10/39: Traceability, e.g. incorporating identifier into a workpiece or article
- B22F 12/90: Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
- B23K 10/027: {Welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. build-up welding}
- B23K 15/0086: {welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. build-up welding}
- B23K 26/34: Laser welding for purposes other than joining
- B23K 26/354: by melting
- B29C 64/153: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
- B29C 64/371: using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B22F 10/25: Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- B22F 12/70: Gas flow means
- B22F 2201/04: CO or CO2
- B22F 2203/03: for feed-back
- B29C 64/20: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing, in particular generatively producing, and coding a three-dimensional component. Said method comprises the following steps: providing a starting material, supplying a process gas to the starting material, melting the starting material by means of a heat source, and repeating the aforementioned steps. The method according to the invention is characterized in that, at least at a predetermined time interval during the melting of the starting material, a coding component or a coding gas containing a coding component is added to the process gas such that the use of the coding component in the finished object is detectable, and coding information is logged which describes the coding information and the location thereof in the component.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing and coding a three-dimensional component, comprising:
providing a metal starting material;
supplying a process gas to the starting material;
melting the starting material with a heat source; and
repeating the above steps until completion of the three-dimensional component,
wherein, during at least at a predetermined time interval of the melting of the starting material, a gaseous coding component is added to the starting material and the coding component is integrated into the three-dimensional component such that the coding component is detectable in the three-dimensional component and the three-dimensional component is thereby coded, and
wherein the gaseous coding component comprises at least one isotope of at least one gas, and content of the at least one isotope is changed in comparison to a naturally occurring content of the at least one isotope in the at least one gas,
said method further comprising logging information about the coding component.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the process gas comprises an inert gas, an active gas, or both an inert gas and an active gas, and
wherein said inert gas is selected from argon, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, and radon,
said active gas is selected from O2, CO2, H2 and N2, and mixtures thereof, and
the coding component comprises oxygen 18 carbon dioxide (C18O2), carbon 13 carbon dioxide (13CO2), carbon 13 carbon monoxide (13CO), deuterium (D2), nitrogen 15 (15N2) and oxygen 18 (18O2), and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the process gas comprises the inert gas.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the process gas comprises the active gas.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency of the at least one isotope relative to the naturally occurring frequency is elevated or diminished by more than 0.5%.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding component comprises at least one isotope of an active gas, which reacts with the material of the component to be produced in such a way as to remain in the component.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding component comprises a plurality of different isotopes in predetermined ratios, wherein the plurality of different isotopes in predetermined ratios in the coding component comprise the coding.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one isotope comprises isotopes of a gas that is a primary component of the process gas.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding component comprises a gaseous alloying element, wherein content of the gaseous alloying element is selected such that the gaseous alloying element only negligibly changes material properties of the three-dimensional component.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the logging of information about the coding component comprises storing of the information in a database.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the coding component is used to detect the three-dimensional component via detection of the coding component by a chemical analysis process or a mass spectrometer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according of claim 1, wherein the metal starting material is provided in a form of a powder feed or wire feed, and the heat source is a laser beam, an electron beam, or a plasma/electric arc.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding component comprises at least one isotope of an inert gas, wherein the isotope is integrated into the component.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one isotope is different from isotopes in the process gas.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding information contains at least one of the following:
information about the form of the coding component,
information about the content of the coding component,
information about location of the coding component in the three-dimensional component, and
information about a serial number of the three-dimensional component.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the coding component is not integrated throughout the three-dimensional component.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the coding component is only integrated into one or more predetermined locations or areas of the three-dimensional component.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the coding component is only integrated into a plurality of predetermined locations or areas of the three-dimensional component, and each of said locations or areas are geometrically separate from each.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one isotope is one or more isotopes selected from nitrogen 15, nitrogen 14, carbon 12, carbon 13, carbon 14, oxygen 16, oxygen 18, argon 36, argon 38, argon 39, argon 40, hydrogen 3, helium 3, and helium 4.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said coding component is selected from oxygen 18 carbon dioxide (C18O2), carbon 13 carbon dioxide (13CO2), carbon 13 carbon monoxide (13CO), nitrogen 15 (15N2) and oxygen 18 (18O2), and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 21

A device for producing three-dimensional components, comprising:
a building platform on which a starting material can be provided;
a process gas feeding device for supplying a process gas;
a heating source for melting the starting material; and
a coding component feeding device that is connected with a control device for supplying a gaseous coding component or a coding gas containing a gaseous coding component to the starting material at least at a predetermined time interval during the melting so that the coding component in the three-dimensional component is detectable, and
a database for storing coding information,
wherein the gaseous coding component comprises at least one isotope of at least one gas, and content of the at least one isotope is changed in comparison to a naturally occurring content of the at least one isotope in the at least one gas.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The device of claim 21, further comprising a processing chamber.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The device of claim 21, wherein the coding component feeding device comprises a mixing chamber for mixing the coding component into the process gas, wherein process gas or a mixture of process gas and coding component can be supplied to the processing chamber from the mixing chamber.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The device of claim 21, further comprising a control device comprising a coding component regulating device with a closed control loop for regulating the supply of coding component, and a sensor which is used to acquire a value for at least one volume flow in the processing chamber or the mixing chamber and compare the at least one volume flow with a prescribed desired value, after which the prescribed desired value is set by an actuator.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The device of claim 21, wherein the coding component feeding device comprises a gas storage container that contains both process gas and a corresponding content of coding component.