Apparatus and method for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects
AssigneesConcept Laser GmbH, General Electric Company
InventorsMaik Zimmermann, William Joseph Steele, Boris Eichenberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects includes generating a laser beam with a laser beam source and splitting the laser beam to form a plurality of beamlets. The plurality of beamlets are collimated via an optical device. The method also includes independently controlling respective beamlets of the plurality of beamlets via respective channels of a multi-channel optical modulator disposed downstream of the optical device to at least one of steer or modulate the respective beamlets. A scanning device disposed downstream of the multi-channel optical modulator scans the respective beamlets over at least a portion of a target plane.
Claims20
A method for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, the method comprising:
- generating a laser beam with a laser beam source;
- splitting the laser beam to form a plurality of beamlets;
- collimating the plurality of beamlets via an optical device;
- independently controlling respective beamlets of the plurality of beamlets via respective channels of a multi-channel optical modulator disposed downstream of the optical device to at least one of steer or modulate the respective beamlets;
- and
- scanning, via a scanning device disposed downstream of the multi-channel optical modulator, the respective beamlets over at least a portion of a target plane.
An apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, the apparatus comprising:
- a laser beam source configured to generate a laser beam;
- a beam splitting device located downstream from the laser beam source and configured to split the laser beam into a plurality of beamlets;
- an optical device located downstream of the beam splitting device and configured to collimate the plurality of beamlets;
- a multi-channel optical modulator disposed downstream of the optical device, wherein respective beamlets of the plurality of beamlets are directed to respective channels of the multi-channel optical modulator, wherein the respective channels of the multi-channel optical modulator independently control at least one of a steering or modulating of the respective beamlets;
- and
- a scanning device disposed downstream of the multi-channel optical modulator, the scanning device configured to scan the respective beamlets over at least a portion of a target plane.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor associated with an additive manufacturing machine, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
- generating a laser beam with a laser beam source;
- independently controlling, via a multi-channel optical modulator, respective beamlets of a plurality of beamlets split from the laser beam and collimated via an optical device located downstream from the laser beam source, by respective channels of the multi-channel optical modulator to at least one of steer or modulate the respective beamlets;
- and
- scanning, via a scanning device disposed downstream of the multi-channel optical modulator, the respective beamlets over at least a portion of a target plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.