Method for additive manufacturing
AssigneeArcam AB
InventorsIsak Elfstroem, Mattias Fager
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of using of a focus lens in additive manufacturing for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion, with a high energy beam, of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed provided on a work table, which parts correspond to successive cross sections of the three dimensional article, said method comprising the step of: using said focus lens for varying a spot size of said high energy beam on said powder bed as a function of an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said powder which is to be fused. The invention is also related to a method for forming a three dimensional article.
Claims15
-30. (canceled)
A method of using at least one means of altering a spot size of a high energy beam in an additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of powder provided on a work table, which parts correspond to successive cross sections of the three dimensional article, said method comprising the step of:
- using said at least one means to vary a Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of said high energy beam only if an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said layer of powder which is to be fused is less than a predetermined thickness, wherein said FWHM of said high energy beam is decreased for a decreased already fused thickness.
A computer program product for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
- an executable portion configured to provide at least one high energy beam source for emitting a high energy beam for at least one of heating or fusing said powder material;
- an executable portion configured to provide a deflection source for deflecting the high energy beam on said powder material;
- an executable portion configured to provide a focus lens for focusing said high energy beam on said powder material;
- and
- an executable portion configured to shape the high energy beam on said powder layer with at least one focus lens so that a spot size of said high energy beam on said powder bed is varied only if an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said powder which is to be fused is less than the predetermined thickness.
A method for altering a spot size of a high energy beam in an additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of powder provided on a work table, which parts correspond to successive cross sections of the three dimensional article, said method comprising the step of:
- varying a Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of said high energy beam only if an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said layer of powder which is to be fused is less than a predetermined thickness,
- wherein said FWHM of said high energy beam is decreased for a decreased already fused thickness of said three dimensional article.
A method for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing at least one high energy beam source for emitting a high energy beam for fusing said powder material;
- providing a deflection source for deflecting the high energy beam on said powder material;
- providing at least one component configured for varying a Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of said high energy beam;
- and
- varying, via said at least one component, said FWHM of said high energy beam only if an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said powder which is to be fused is less than a predetermined thickness, wherein said FWHM of said high energy beam is decreased for a decreased already fused thickness of said three dimensional article.
A computer program product for forming a three-dimensional article through successively depositing individual layers of powder material that are fused together so as to form the article, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
- an executable portion configured to provide at least one high energy beam source for emitting a high energy beam for at least one of heating or fusing said powder material;
- an executable portion configured to provide a deflection source for deflecting the high energy beam on said powder material;
- an executable portion configured for providing a component arranged to vary a Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) of said high energy beam;
- and
- an executable portion configured to, via said component, shape the high energy beam on said powder layer so that a spot size of said high energy beam on said powder bed is varied only if an already fused thickness of said three-dimensional article below said powder which is to be fused is less than a predetermined thickness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.