METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE COOLING RATE OF A MELT POOL OF A POWDER BED, AND DIRECT METAL LASER MELTING MANUFACTURING SYSTEM WITH IN-LINE LASER SCANNER

• Main Authors: Carter, William Thomas, Karp, Jason Harris
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 11.08.2021
• Subjects: CASTING; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUSMETALS OR ALLOYS; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE BY DECARBURISATION, TEMPERING OR OTHERTREATMENTS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; METALLURGY OF IRON; MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

A method of controlling the cooling rate of a melt pool of a powder bed includes directing a first laser beam (5) on the powder bed to form a melt pool; coaxially aligning a second laser beam (7) with the first laser beam (5), and laterally offsetting a focus spot of the second laser beam (7) with respect to the melt pool, wherein the second laser beam (7) heats but does not melt powder within the focus spot.