DIODE LASER FIBER ARRAY FOR CONTOUR OF POWDER BED FABRICATION OR REPAIR

• Main Authors: BOGDAN, David, Charles, Jr, KARP, Jason, Harris, CARTER, William, Thomas
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 22.02.2023
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BLASTING; CASTING; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; GLASS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINE TOOLS; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; 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; STEAM ENGINES; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of forming a build in a powder bed includes providing a first diode laser fiber array and a second diode laser fiber array, emitting a plurality of laser beams from selected fibers of the second diode laser fiber array onto the powder bed, corresponding to a pattern of a layer of the build, simultaneously melting powder in the powder bed corresponding to the pattern of the layer of the build, scanning a first diode laser fiber array along an outer boundary of the powder bed and emitting a plurality of laser beams from selected fibers of the first diode laser fiber array and simultaneously melting powder in the powder bed corresponding to the outer boundary of the layer of the build to contour the layer of the build. An apparatus for forming a build in a powder bed including a first diode laser fiber array and a second diode laser fiber array is also disclosed. The first diode laser fiber array configured to contour the layer of the build.