Additive manufacturing system with gas flow head
AssigneeVulcanForms Inc.
InventorMatthew Sweetland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An additive manufacturing system may include a build surface, one or more laser energy sources, and an optics assembly. Exposure of a layer of material on the build surface to laser energy from the optics assembly melts at least a portion of the layer of material. A gas flow head is coupled to the optics assembly and defines a partially enclosed volume between the optics assembly and the build surface. The gas flow head includes a gas inflow through which a supply gas flows into the gas flow head, a gas outflow through which a return gas flows out of the gas flow head, and an aperture arranged to permit transmission of the laser energy through the gas flow head to the build surface. The supply gas and return gas define a gas flow profile within the gas flow head.
Claims17
A method for additive manufacturing comprising:
- depositing a layer of powder material on a build surface;
- directing laser energy from one or more laser energy sources through an optics assembly and toward the deposited layer of powder material on the build surface, wherein the optics assembly is movable in a scan direction relative to the build surface;
- exposing the layer of deposited powder material on the build surface to the laser energy;
- selectively melting at least a portion of the layer of deposited powder material on the build surface due to exposure of the portion to the laser energy;
- and
- generating a flow of gas through a gas flow head in a direction that flows from a first side of the melted portion of the layer of deposited powder material to a second side of the melted portion of the layer of deposited powder material during operation of the gas flow head, the gas flow head being coupled to the optics assembly and movable with the optics assembly and defining a partially enclosed volume between the optics assembly and the build surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.