Method of controlling an irradiation system, irradiation system, computer program product and apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece

Abstract

A method of controlling an irradiation system (10) for irradiating layers of a raw material powder with a radiation beam (14) in order to produce a three-dimensional work piece (110) is described. The method comprises the steps of defining, for at least one raw material powder layer to be irradiated, a scanning pattern comprising a plurality of irradiation sections (20), wherein, within each of the plurality of irradiation sections (20), a plurality of scanning vectors (V) is defined, according to which the radiation beam (14) is scanned across the raw material powder layer; determining, for each of the plurality of irradiation sections (20), whether the irradiation section (20) contains a downskin area (22); and defining, for each of the plurality of irradiation sections (20), a scanning order direction (S) according to which the scanning vectors (V) within the irradiation section (20) are scanned one after another in dependence on the determination of whether the irradiation section (20) contains a downskin area (22).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.