System And Method For High Power Diode Based Additive Manufacturing

A method for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material deposited as a powder bed on a substrate, the method comprising:

• generating an array of laser beams of sufficient power to melt or sinter the powdered material,
• using a first optical subsystem to generate an optical signal from the array of laser beams in a 2D pattern to melt select portions of a layer of the powdered material to form a corresponding layer of a 3D part,
• using a second optical subsystem arranged upstream of the powdered material, and downstream of the first optical subsystem, relative to a direction of travel of the optical signal, to receive the optical signal from the first optical subsystem and to provide control over the optical signal to help facilitate melting of the powdered material,
• modifying the 2D pattern, for each new layer of powdered material melted by the optical signal, and further modifying a power density level of the optical signal when needed, to manufacture the 3D part in a sequential, layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process.

A method for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material deposited as a powder bed on a baseplate forming a substrate, the method comprising:

• generating an array of laser beams of sufficient power to melt or sinter the powdered material by using an array of diode lasers including one or more bars of diode lasers, wherein an output of the one or more bars of diode lasers forms a 2D array of laser beams, and where the 2D array of laser beams produces a 2D array of lines, where each line of said 2D array of lines is formed using at least one of the diode lasers, and forms a full 2D image to enable sintering all portions of the powder bed needed to form a given layer of a 3D part;
• using an optical subsystem to generate an optical signal from the array of laser beams in the 2D image to melt select portions of a layer of the powdered material to form a corresponding layer of the 3D part;
• modifying a pattern of the 2D image, for each new layer of powdered material melted by the optical signal, and further modifying a power density level of the optical signal when needed, to manufacture the 3D part in a sequential, layer-by-layer additive manufacturing process;
• and
• wherein modifying a power density level of the optical system comprises modifying a power density level of one or more of the plurality of laser beams, taking into account an absorptivity of the powdered material, a dimension of particles making up the powdered material, a composition of the powdered material, a temperature of the base plate, and a thickness of the powder bed.