Systems and methods for additive manufacturing using pixel shifting
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMary Kathryn Thompson, Travis Gene Sands, Kevin Robert Dickson, William Joseph Steele, Trent William Muhlenkamp
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Abstract
An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a support plate defining a window and a resin support configured to support an uncured layer of resin. A stage is configured to hold one or more cured layers of the resin to form a component positioned opposite a support plate. A radiant energy device is positioned on an opposite side of the resin support from the stage and is operable to project radiant energy in a grid through the window. The grid and/or pixels thereof are intelligently shifted to efficiently print one or more layers of a component.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- positioning a grid projected by an additive manufacturing apparatus so that a greatest number of a plurality of pixels of the grid are aligned full on within a perimeter of a layer to be printed by the additive manufacturing apparatus;
- flashing the greatest number of the plurality of pixels of the grid with radiant energy from a radiant energy device with the greatest number of the plurality of pixels aligned full on within the perimeter of the layer to form at least part of the layer;
- moving a pixel of the plurality of pixels of the grid in a circular motion or a spiral motion around a predefined point;
- and
- flashing the pixel with radiant energy as the pixel is moved in the circular motion or the spiral motion around the predefined point to form at least part of the layer.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system associated with an additive manufacturing apparatus, cause the one or more processors to:
- cause a grid projected by a radiant energy device of the additive manufacturing apparatus to shift or remain in place so that a greatest number of a plurality of pixels of the grid are aligned full on within a perimeter of a layer to be printed;
- cause the radiant energy device to flash the greatest number of the plurality of pixels of the grid with the greatest number of the plurality of pixels aligned full on within the perimeter of the layer to form at least part of the layer;
- cause a pixel of the plurality of pixels of the grid to move in a circular motion or a spiral motion around a predefined point;
- and
- cause the radiant energy device to flash the pixel as the pixel is moved in the circular motion or the spiral motion around the predefined point to form at least part of the layer.
An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
- a radiant energy device;
- a computing system having one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to:
- cause a grid projected by the radiant energy device to shift or remain in place so that a greatest number of a plurality of pixels of the grid are aligned full on within a perimeter of a layer to be printed;
- cause the radiant energy device to flash the greatest number of the plurality of pixels of the grid with the greatest number of the plurality of pixels aligned full on within the perimeter of the layer to form at least part of the layer;
- cause a pixel of the plurality of pixels of the grid to move in a circular motion or a spiral motion around a predefined point;
- and
- cause the radiant energy device to flash the pixel as the pixel is moved in the circular motion or the spiral motion around the predefined point to form at least part of the layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.