Switchyard Beam Routing Of Patterned Light For Additive Manufacturing
AssigneeSeurat Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJames A. DeMuth, Francis L. Leard, Erik Toomre
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for additive manufacturing pertaining to high efficiency, energy beam patterning and beam steering to effectively and efficiently utilize the source energy. In one embodiment recycling and reuse of unwanted light includes a source of multiple light patterns produced by one or more light valves, with at least one of the multiple light patterns being formed from rejected patterned light. An image relay is used to direct the multiple light patterns, and a beam routing system receives the multiple light patterns and respectively directs them toward defined areas on a powder bed.
Claims20
An additive manufacturing method, the method comprising:
- distributing at least one layer of granular material;
- routing a first energy beam along a first route through a switchyard comprising a plurality of energy-switching units;
- directing, after the routing along the first route, the first energy beam at a first portion of the at least one layer;
- routing a second energy beam along a second route through the switchyard, wherein the second route is different from the first route;
- and
- directing, after the routing along the second route, the second energy beam at a second portion of the at least one layer, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.
An additive manufacturing method, the method comprising:
- distributing at least one layer of granular material;
- generating a first two-dimensional patterned energy beam;
- routing the first two-dimensional patterned energy beam along a first route through a switchyard comprising a plurality of energy-switching units;
- directing, after the routing along the first route, the first two-dimensional patterned energy beam at a first portion of the at least one layer;
- generating a second two-dimensional patterned energy beam;
- routing the second two-dimensional patterned energy beam along a second route through the switchyard, wherein the second route is different from the first route;
- and
- directing, after the routing along the second route, the second two-dimensional patterned energy beam at a second portion of the at least one layer, wherein the second portion is different from the first portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.