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US 12,558,844 B2Granted
Optical fibers including endcaps for use in additive manufacturing
AssigneeVulcanForms Inc.
InventorsManuel Joseph Leonardo, Martin C. Feldmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for additive manufacturing are generally described. According to certain aspects, endcaps optically coupled to optical fibers of additive manufacturing systems are provided. In some aspects, methods for reducing a power area density of laser energy within an endcap are provided. The endcaps described herein may be used to at least partially mitigate thermal cycling that may result from the transmission of laser energy through interfaces of an additive manufacturing system.
Claims31
An additive manufacturing system comprising:
- a laser energy source;
- an optics assembly configured to direct laser energy from the laser energy source onto a build surface to form a laser energy spot on the build surface;
- an optical fiber optically coupled with the laser energy source;
- and
- an endcap disposed on and optically coupled with a distal end of the optical fiber, wherein a surface area of a distal surface of the endcap is larger than a transverse cross sectional area of the distal end of the optical fiber, wherein the endcap is optically coupled with the optics assembly, wherein the endcap comprises at least one microlens portion configured to focus the laser energy from the laser energy source onto the build surface to fuse material on the build surface and wherein the endcap is configured to reduce a first power area density of the laser energy transferred from the distal end of the optical fiber by a factor greater than or equal to 10 within the endcap relative to a second power area density within the optical fiber.
2 more elements
An additive manufacturing system comprising:
- a laser energy source;
- an optics assembly configured to direct laser energy from the laser energy source onto a build surface to form a laser energy spot on the build surface;
- an optical fiber optically coupled with the laser energy source;
- and
- an endcap disposed on and optically coupled with a distal end of the optical fiber, wherein the endcap is configured to increase a transmission area of laser energy transmitted from the laser energy source to reduce a first power area density of the transmitted laser energy by a factor greater than or equal to 10 within the endcap relative to a second power area density within the optical fiber, and wherein the endcap comprises at least one microlens portion configured to focus the laser energy from the laser energy source onto the build surface to fuse material on the build surface.
2 more elements
An additive manufacturing system comprising:
- a plurality of laser energy sources;
- an optics assembly configured to direct laser energy from the plurality of laser energy sources onto a build surface to form an array of laser energy spots on the build surface;
- a plurality of optical fibers optically coupled with the plurality of laser energy sources;
- and
- one or more endcaps disposed on and optically coupled with a distal end of each optical fiber, wherein each endcap of the one or more endcaps has a surface area of a distal surface that is larger than a transverse cross-sectional area of the distal ends of the optical fibers disposed thereon, wherein each endcap of the one or more endcaps comprises at least one microlens portion configured to focus the laser energy exiting from the distal ends of the optical fibers disposed thereon onto the build surface to fuse material on the build surface, wherein the plurality of optical fibers forms an array, and wherein the one or more endcaps are configured to reduce a first power area density of the laser energy transferred from the distal end of each optical fiber by a factor greater than or equal to 10 within the one or more endcaps relative to a second power area density within each optical fiber.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.