Method for additive manufacturing

A program element configured and arranged when executed on a computer a method for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of locations of a powder bed, which locations correspond to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a model of said three-dimensional article;
• applying a first powder layer on a work table;
• determining a maximum scan length of an energy beam for each cross section of said three-dimensional article;
• and
• directing said energy beam from a first energy beam source over said work table with a constant scan speed and constant energy causing said first powder layer to fuse in first selected locations according to said model to form a first cross section of said three-dimensional article, where said first energy beam is fusing said selected locations with parallel scan lines in a first direction, wherein locations with a shorter scan length than said maximum scan length is provided with a time sink at least one of before or after said scan line so that the time period between each two adjacent scan lines is constant throughout the manufacture of said three-dimensional article.

A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

• an executable portion configured for, upon receipt of a model of at least one three dimensional article, applying a first powder layer on a work table so as to initiate forming said three-dimensional article through successive fusion of locations of a powder bed, which locations correspond to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article;
• an executable portion configured for determining a maximum scan line time of an energy beam for a first cross section of the three-dimensional article;
• and
• an executable portion configured for directing said energy beam from a first energy beam source over said work table with a constant energy causing said first powder layer to fuse in first selected locations according to said model to form said first cross section of said three-dimensional article, wherein:
• said first energy beam is fusing said selected locations with scan lines in a first direction;
• and
• locations with a shorter scan line time than said maximum scan line time are provided with a time sink at least one of before or after said scan line so that the scan line time plus the time sink is constant for said first cross section of said three-dimensional article.