Switchyard beam routing of patterned light for additive manufacturing
AssigneeSeurat Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJames A. DeMuth, Francis L. Leard, Erik Toomre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for additive manufacturing pertaining to high efficiency, energy beam patterning and beam steering to effectively and efficiently utilize the source energy. In one embodiment recycling and reuse of unwanted light includes a source of multiple light patterns produced by one or more light valves, with at least one of the multiple light patterns being formed from rejected patterned light. An image relay is used to direct the multiple light patterns, and a beam routing system receives the multiple light patterns and respectively directs them toward defined areas on a powder bed.
Claims13
A switchyard beam routing system for additive manufacturing, comprising:
- an energy beam;
- a beam patterning unit to generate a two-dimensional patterned energy beam from the energy beam;
- a plurality of energy switching units to direct the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into a plurality of directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams;
- a plurality of energy steering units to receive and steer the plurality of directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams, and
- at least one powder bed to receive at least a portion of the directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams that are steered by the plurality of energy steering units,
- wherein at least one of the plurality of energy switching units is configured to selectively direct the two-dimensional patterned energy beam to at least two energy switching units by selectively polarizing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into one of two polarization states, forming a switching hierarchy.
A switchyard beam routing system for additive manufacturing, comprising:
- an energy beam;
- a beam patterning unit to generate a two-dimensional patterned energy beam from the energy beam;
- a plurality of energy switching units to direct the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into a plurality of directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams;
- a plurality of energy steering units to receive and steer the plurality of directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams, and
- at least one powder bed to receive at least a portion of the directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams that are steered by the plurality of energy steering units,
- wherein at least some of the plurality of energy switching units are arranged in a switching hierarchy, and
- wherein at least two of the plurality of energy switching units are configured to selectively direct a two-dimensional patterned energy beams therebetween by selectively polarizing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into one of two polarization states.
A switchyard beam routing system, comprising:
- an energy beam;
- a beam patterning unit to generate a two-dimensional patterned energy beam from the energy beam;
- a plurality of energy switching units to direct the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into a plurality of directed two-dimensional patterned energy beams, wherein at least one of the plurality of energy switching units is configured to selectively direct a two-dimensional patterned energy beam to at least two energy switching units by selectively polarizing the two-dimensional patterned energy beam into one of two polarization states, forming a switching hierarchy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.