# US 9,751,262 B2 · Systems and methods for creating compensated digital representations for use in additive manufacturing processes

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- Number: US 9,751,262 B2
- Document ID: US9751262B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/930,097
- Filed: 2013-06-28
- Published: 2015-01-01
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-06-28
- Assignees: General Electric Company
- Applicants: General Electric Company
- Inventors: Michael Evans Graham; William Thomas Carter; Mark Allen Cheverton; Pinghai Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751262B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/153: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- G06T 19/00: Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- B22F 10/36: of energy beam parameters
- B22F 12/41: characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
- B22F 12/44: characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
- B22F 12/49: Scanners
- B22F 12/50: Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads
- B22F 12/90: Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A system for fabricating a component includes an additive manufacturing device and a computing device. The additive manufacturing device is configured to fabricate a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, which includes a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each corresponding to a layer of the first component. The computing device includes a processor, wherein for an ith layer of the first component, the processor is configured to (a) generate a cumulative compensation transformation; (b) apply the cumulative compensation transformation to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer; (c) determine a local compensation transformation; and (d) apply the local compensation transformation to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for fabricating a component, said system comprising:
an additive manufacturing device configured to fabricate a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, wherein the nominal digital representation comprises a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to a layer of the first component; and
a computing device coupled to said additive manufacturing device, said computing device comprising a memory device configured to store the nominal digital representation of the second component, said computing device further comprising a processor, wherein for an ith layer of the first component said processor is configured to:
(a) generate a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the ith layer, wherein for an initial layer of the first component, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation equal to an identity transformation, and wherein for a layer of the first component other than the initial layer, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation for the ith layer by applying a local compensation transformation corresponding to the (i−1)th layer to a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the (i−1)th layer;
(b) apply the cumulative compensation transformation associated with the ith layer to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer;
(c) determine a local compensation transformation for the ith layer, wherein the local compensation transformation for the ith layer of the first component is based upon a difference between a geometric characteristic of the ith layer and a corresponding geometric characteristic of the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer;
(d) apply the local compensation transformation for the ith layer to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer to create a compensated digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer; and
(e) perform (a) through (d) for at least one other layer of the first component; and
wherein said additive manufacturing device is further configured to fabricate a second component based upon the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to generate a compensated digital representation of the second component based on the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the geometric characteristic includes at least one of a shape, an orientation, a length, a width, and a relative position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said second component is an aircraft component.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said additive manufacturing device comprises a selective laser sintering device.

### Claim 6

A method of fabricating a component using an additive manufacturing process, said method comprising:
fabricating a first component by sequentially forming a plurality of superposed layers based upon a nominal digital representation of a second component, wherein the nominal digital representation comprises a plurality of nominal digital two-dimensional cross-sections, each nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to a layer of the first component; and
for an ith layer of the first component:
(a) generating a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the ith layer, wherein for an initial layer of the first component, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation equal to an identity transformation, and wherein for a layer of the first component other than the initial layer, said processor is configured to generate a cumulative compensation transformation for the ith layer by applying a local compensation transformation corresponding to the (i−1)th layer to a cumulative compensation transformation associated with the (i−1)th layer;
(b) applying the cumulative compensation transformation associated with the ith layer to the nominal digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer to create an intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer;
(c) determining a local compensation transformation for the ith layer, wherein the local compensation transformation for the ith layer of the first component is based upon a difference between a geometric characteristic of the ith layer and a corresponding geometric characteristic of the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer;
(d) applying the local compensation transformation for the ith layer to the intermediate digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer to create a compensated digital two-dimensional cross-section corresponding to the ith layer; and
(e) performing (a) through (d) for at least one other layer of the first component; and
(f) fabricating a second component based upon the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method in accordance with claim 6, further comprising generating a compensated digital representation of the second component based on the compensated digital two-dimensional cross-sections.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method in accordance with claim 6 wherein fabricating the first component comprises a selective laser sintering process.