Controlling heat sources based on representative temperatures
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsIsmael Fernandez Aymerich, Lluis Abello Rosello, Sergio Puigardeu Aramendia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an example, a method includes measuring a temperature of a plurality of regions of a layer of build material in an additive manufacturing apparatus to provide initial temperature values. For each of a plurality of regions which comprise build material which is intended to fuse, an average temperature value of a plurality of neighbouring regions may be determined and the initial temperature values may be replaced with the average temperature value. Based on the replacement temperature values, a representative temperature of an area of the layer of build material may be determined and a heat source may be controlled based on the representative temperature.
Claims20
Additive manufacturing apparatus comprising processing circuitry, the processing circuitry comprising:
- a temperature determination module to determine a representative temperature value for a layer of build material by replacing measured temperature values of pixels from a plurality of regions of a heat map of the layer which comprise build material which is intended to fuse with average temperatures of neighboring pixels;
- and
- a controller, to control a heat source based on the representative temperature value for a layer of build material.
A machine readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- identify, from a heat map of a layer of build material in an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels, pixels which are directly indicative of a temperature of the layer in the absence of applied print agent;
- for a plurality of pixels indicative of a temperature of a plurality of regions of the layer to be fused, determine an average temperature value of a plurality of neighbouring regions;
- determine, based on the pixels which are directly indicative of a temperature of the layer in the absence of applied print agent and the determined average temperature values, a representative temperature of an area of the layer of build material;
- and
- control a heat source based on the representative temperature.
An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
- An array of temperature sensors for measuring a temperature of a plurality of regions of a layer of build material in an additive manufacturing apparatus to provide initial temperature values;
- processing circuitry comprising a temperature determination module for
- determining, for each of a plurality of regions which comprise build material which is intended to fuse, an average temperature value of a plurality of neighboring regions,
- replacing the initial temperature values with the average temperature values, and
- determining, based on the replacement temperature values, a representative temperature of an area of the layer of build material;
- and
- a controller for controlling a heat source based on the representative temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.