# US 11,440,261 B2 · Systems and methods for thermal control of additive manufacturing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,440,261 B2 - Document ID: US11440261B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/346,537 - Filed: 2016-11-08 - Published: 2018-05-10 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-08 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Mark Stewart Wilenski; Faraón Torres; Nick Shadbeh Evans; Samuel F. Harrison; Michael Patrick Kozar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440261B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/118: using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] - B22F 12/41: characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam - B22F 12/45: Two or more - B22F 12/90: Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors - B29C 64/153: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting - B29C 64/20: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B29C 64/245: Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) - B29C 64/295: Heating elements - B29C 64/364: Conditioning of environment - B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - 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 10/12: by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - B22F 10/30: Process control - B22F 10/66: by mechanical means - B22F 12/53: Nozzles - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - 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) - 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 - 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 Systems for thermal control of additive manufacturing comprise a build volume within which a part is additively manufactured; a heat source positioned relative to the build volume and configured to actively deliver heat to discrete sections of the part as it is being additively manufactured; and a controller operatively coupled to the heat source and configured to direct delivery of heat from the heat source to discrete sections of the part as it is being additively manufactured to impart desired physical properties to the part. Methods of additively manufacturing a part comprise additively building a part from a feedstock material; and actively heating discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively built to impart desired physical properties to the part. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for thermal control of additive manufacturing, the system comprising: a build volume within which a part is additively manufactured; one or more heat sources positioned relative to the build volume and configured to actively deliver heat to discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured, wherein the one or more heat sources comprise at least a first heat source comprising an infrared laser or an infrared lamp; a support bed positioned relative to the build volume and configured to support the part as the part is being additively manufactured, wherein the support bed is transparent to infrared light, and wherein the first heat source is configured to actively deliver infrared light through the support bed to discrete sections of a lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured; a thermal sensor positioned relative to the build volume and configured to acquire thermal data associated with the part as the part is being additively manufactured; and a controller operatively coupled to the one or more heat sources and the thermal sensor and configured to direct delivery of heat from the one or more heat sources to discrete sections of the part based at least in part on the thermal data as the part is being additively manufactured to impart desired and different physical properties to different regions of the part, wherein the physical properties comprise one or more of internal thermal stresses, thermal distortions, metastability, hardness, and softness. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more heat sources are configured to be able to deliver heat to any exposed portion of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a heat source drive assembly configured to actively move at least one of the one or more heat sources in three dimensions relative to the build volume. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more heat sources comprise a second heat source comprising a laser and a mirror-positioning system configured to actively direct the laser to discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more heat sources comprise a second heat source comprising a lamp and a projector associated with the lamp, wherein the projector is configured to direct light from the lamp to discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more heat sources comprise a second heat source comprising a lamp and a shuttering system associated with the lamp, wherein the shuttering system is configured to selectively direct light from the lamp to discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat source comprises the infrared lamp, and wherein the support bed is configured to actively mask the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured to actively direct infrared light from the infrared lamp to discrete sections of the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the support bed further is configured to actively withdraw heat from discrete sections of the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor comprises one or more infrared sensors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor is stationary relative to the build volume. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a thermal sensor drive assembly configured to actively move the thermal sensor in three dimensions relative to the build volume. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a mirror-positioning system operatively positioned relative to the thermal sensor and the build volume, wherein the mirror-positioning system is configured to actively move a location on the part being sensed by the thermal sensor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal data comprises surface temperatures of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the surface temperatures of the part comprise surface temperatures of all exposed surfaces of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor is a contactless thermal sensor that does not physically contact the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to direct delivery of heat from the one or more heat sources to discrete sections of the part based at least in part on predicted thermal characteristics of the part as the part is being additively manufactured, wherein the predicted thermal characteristics are based on one or more of a feedstock material used to create the part, a timing of creation of discrete sections of the part, the thermal data acquired by the thermal sensor, and environmental conditions within the build volume. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a cooling system positioned relative to the build volume and configured to actively withdraw heat from discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured to impart desired and different physical properties to different regions of the part; wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the cooling system and configured to direct withdrawal of heat from discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first heat source comprises the infrared lamp, and wherein the support bed comprises a liquid crystal display configured to actively mask the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured to actively direct infrared light from the infrared lamp to discrete sections of the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 19 A system for thermal control of additive manufacturing, the system comprising: a build volume within which a part is additively manufactured; a heat source positioned relative to the build volume and configured to actively deliver heat to discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively manufactured, wherein the heat source comprises an infrared laser or an infrared lamp; a support bed positioned relative to the build volume and configured to support the part as the part is being additively manufactured, wherein the support bed is transparent to infrared light, and wherein the heat source is configured to actively deliver infrared light through the support bed to discrete sections of a lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured; and a controller operatively coupled to the heat source and configured to direct delivery of infrared light from the heat source to discrete sections of the lower surface of the part based at least in part on predicted thermal characteristics of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the heat source comprises the infrared lamp, and wherein the support bed comprises a liquid crystal display configured to actively mask the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured to actively direct infrared light from the infrared lamp to discrete sections of the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively manufactured. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the support bed comprises a liquid crystal display configured to actively mask the lower surface of the part as the part is being additively built. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) A method of utilizing the system of claim 19, the method comprising: additively building the part from a feedstock material within the build volume; and imparting desired and different physical properties to different regions of the part by actively heating, with the heat source, discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively built by actively delivering infrared light through the support bed, wherein the actively heating is computer controlled by the controller. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: acquiring thermal data associated with the part as the part is being additively built, wherein the acquiring is computer controlled; wherein the actively heating is based at least in part on the thermal data. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the thermal data comprises surface temperatures of the part as the part is being additively built. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The method of claim 23, wherein the acquiring comprises acquiring surface temperatures of all exposed surfaces of the part as the part is being additively built. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: predicting thermal characteristics of the part as the part is being additively built, wherein the predicting is computer controlled; wherein the actively heating is based at least in part on the thermal characteristics. ### Claim 27 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: actively cooling discrete sections of the part as the part is being additively built to impart desired and different physical properties to different regions of the part, wherein the actively cooling is computer controlled. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the physical properties comprise one or more of internal thermal stresses, thermal distortions, metastability, hardness, and softness. ### Claim 29 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein the actively heating results in a select discrete section of the part being configured for subsequent work on the select discrete section, and wherein the method further comprises: subsequent to the actively heating, mechanically working on the select discrete section.