Systems and methods for additive manufacturing
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsWilliam Joseph Steele, Christopher David Barnhill, Brian Thomas Thompson, Meredith Elissa Dubelman, Xi Yang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a support plate defining a window and a resin support configured to support an uncured layer of resin. A stage is configured to hold one or more cured layers of the resin to form a component positioned opposite a support plate. A radiant energy device is positioned on an opposite side of the resin support from the stage and is operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image through the window. The stage is configured to move simultaneously with the resin support from a first position to a second position in an X-axis direction.
Claims15
An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
- a support plate defining a window;
- a resin support configured to support an uncured layer of resin;
- a stage configured to hold one or more cured layers of the resin to form a component positioned opposite the support plate, wherein the stage is configured to move simultaneously at a common speed with the resin support from a first position to a second position in an X-axis direction with the stage and the resin support separated from one another by a common distance while the stage and the resin support move from the first position to the second position;
- a radiant energy device positioned on an opposite side of the resin support from the stage and operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image through the window;
- and
- a pneumatic material retention assembly configured to retain the resin support in a predefined position along the support plate in an activated state and allow translation of the resin support along the support plate in a deactivated state, the pneumatic material retention assembly in the activated state when the radiant energy device projects radiant energy through the window and deactivated when the stage and the resin support move simultaneously from the first position to the second position.
An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to translate a resin support along a support plate in an X-axis direction;
- a stage configured to hold a component;
- a radiant energy device positioned on an opposite side of the resin support from the stage and operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image;
- an actuator assembly configured to move the stage in the X-axis direction;
- a computing system configured to actuate the drive assembly and the actuator to translate the stage from a first position to a second position in the X-axis direction simultaneously and at a common acceleration with the resin support while maintaining a constant height of the stage relative to the support plate;
- and
- a viscosity modification assembly operably coupled with the resin support and configured to apply a shearing stress to the resin to alter a first viscosity of the resin to a second viscosity.
An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
- a drive assembly configured to translate a resin support along a support plate in an X-axis direction;
- a stage configured to hold a component;
- a base structure energy device;
- a radiant energy device positioned within the base structure and on an opposite side of the resin support from the stage and operable to generate and project radiant energy in a patterned image;
- a movement device configured to translate the radiant energy device between a first and a second location in a Y-axis direction;
- a computing system configured to actuate the drive assembly and the actuator to translate the stage from a first position to a second position in the X-axis direction simultaneously and at a common acceleration with the resin support while maintaining a constant height of the stage relative to the support plate, the computing system further configured to move the radiant energy device from the first location to the second location along the Y-axis relative to a forward portion of the base structure;
- and
- a viscosity modification assembly operably coupled with the resin support and configured to apply a shearing stress to the resin to alter a first viscosity of the resin to a second viscosity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.