Layer orientation control for pixel-based additive manufacturing
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsTravis Gene Sands, Stephen Michael Deak
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Abstract
A method is provided for making a workpiece in an additive manufacturing process in which a starting material is solidified in a layer by layer fashion, with each layer of the workpiece being solidified using a patterned image of radiant energy configured as a two-dimensional grid array of pixels. The method includes: for each layer of the workpiece, determining a preferred angular orientation of the grid array, relative to the layer; and orienting the patterned image to the preferred angular orientation before solidifying the starting material for that layer.
Claims20
A method of making a workpiece in an additive manufacturing process in which a starting material is solidified in a layer by layer fashion, with each layer of the workpiece being solidified using a patterned image of radiant energy configured as a two-dimensional grid array of pixels, the method comprising:
- for each layer of the workpiece, determining a preferred angular orientation of the grid array, relative to the layer;
- and
- orienting the patterned image to the preferred angular orientation before solidifying the starting material for that layer.
A method of making a workpiece, comprising:
- placing an uncured resin in a vat;
- positioning a build platform in the resin at a selected location along a first axis, so as to expose a layer of resin;
- rotating at least one of the build platform and a projector about the first axis, so as to orient the projector at a predetermined angular orientation relative to the exposed layer of resin;
- and
- using the projector, selectively curing the layer of resin by projecting a patterned image of radiant energy onto the layer of resin, wherein the patterned image is configured as a grid pattern comprising rows and columns of pixels arrayed along second and third mutually perpendicular axes respectively, wherein the second and third axes are perpendicular to the first axis, and wherein the grid pattern is aligned at the predetermined angular orientation.
An apparatus for making a workpiece, comprising:
- a vat configured to contain a liquid resin;
- a platform movable along a build axis within the vat;
- a projector operable to project a patterned image of radiant energy comprising rows and columns of pixels;
- and
- means for changing a relative angular orientation of the platform and the projector about the build axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.