ALIGNING LASERS OF LASER ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

• Main Authors: ARCHIE LEE SWANNER JR, DONNELL EUGENE CREAR, DAVID EDWARD SCHICK
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 14.09.2017
• 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; 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; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide methods for alignment in an overlap region in which lasers selectively operate.SOLUTION: A first plurality of layers 184 of a test structure 180 are formed in an overlap region of a pair of calibrated lasers solely using a first calibrated laser 134 of calibrated lasers, and then a second plurality of layers 190 of the test structure are formed in the overlap region of the pair of calibrated lasers solely using a second calibrated laser 136 of the pair of calibrated lasers. The test structure forming step creates an outer surface of the test structure corresponding to the overlap region. Dimensions of offset steps 200, 202 created between the first plurality of layers and the second plurality of lasers in the outer surface of the test structure are measured. The lasers are aligned by applying the dimensions of the offset steps 200, 202 as position corrections to at least one of the pair of calibrated lasers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8 【課題】レーザが選択的に動作するオーバーラップ領域において位置合わせする方法を提供する。【解決手段】試験構造体１８０の第１の複数の層１８４が、較正されたレーザのうち第１の較正されたレーザ１３４を単独で使用して、較正されたレーザの対のオーバーラップ領域に形成され、次いで、試験構造体の第２の複数の層１９０が、較正されたレーザの対のうち第２の較正されたレーザ１３６を単独で使用して、較正されたレーザの対のオーバーラップ領域に形成される。試験構造体を形成するステップが、オーバーラップ領域に対応する試験構造体の外表面を生成する。試験構造体の外表面において第１の複数の層と第２の複数の層の間に生成されたオフセット段２００、２０２の寸法が測定される。各レーザは、較正されたレーザの対のうち少なくとも１つに対する位置補正としてオフセット段２００、２０２の寸法を適用することによって位置合わせされる。【選択図】図８