Laserabtasten und Leistungssteuerung in einem Rapid-Prototyping-System

• Main Authors: KEREKES, THOMAS A, PARTANEN, JOUNI P
• Format: Patent
• Language: German
• Published: 19.06.2008
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CASTING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A laser scanning system in a rapid-protyping system is controlled during vector scanning by providing a commanded-position signal to each of first and second rotary motive devices to rotate respective mirrors of the scanning system, each mirror undergoing acceleration at the beginning of the vector, wherein the commanded-position signals are calculated based on physical mathematical modeling of the acceleration of the mirrors taking into account effects of inertia of the scanning system, and wherein actual positions of the mirrors are measured with fast-response devices and digital feedback control of the mirror positions is employed at a periodic rate sufficiently small to maintain a following error of the laser spot less than about 200 µs at all times. A laser power control method employs a fast-response power meter for measuring laser power.