ALIGNING LASERS OF A LASER ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

• Main Authors: CREAR, Donnell Eugene, SWANNER JR., Archie Lee, SCHICK, David Edward
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 20.05.2020
• 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; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; 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

Methods for aligning a pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136) of a laser additive manufacturing system (100) in an overlap region (182) in which the pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136) selectively operate are provided. Respective first and second plurality of layers (190) of a test structure (180) are formed in the overlap region (182) of the pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136) solely using a first calibrated laser (134) of the pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136) and then solely using a second calibrated laser (136) of the pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136). The test structure (180) forming creates an outer surface of the test structure (180) corresponding to the overlap region (182). A dimension of an offset step (200, 202) created between the first plurality (184) of layers and the second plurality of lasers (190) in the outer surface of the test structure (180) is/are measured. The lasers (138') are aligned by applying the dimensions of the offset step (200, 202) as an alignment correction (111) to at least one of the pair of calibrated lasers (134, 136).