System and method for high power diode based additive manufacturing

• Main Authors: El-Dasher, Bassem S, Bayramian, Andrew, Demuth, James A, Farmer, Joseph C, Torres, Sharon G
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.12.2022
• 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; ALLOYS; CASTING; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The present disclosure relates to a system for performing an Additive Manufacturing (AM) fabrication process on a powdered material (PM) forming a substrate. The system uses a first optical subsystem to generate an optical signal comprised of electromagnetic (EM) radiation sufficient to melt or sinter a PM of the substrate. The first optical subsystem is controlled to generate a plurality of different power density levels, with a specific one being selected based on a specific PM forming a powder bed being used to form a 3D part. At least one processor controls the first optical subsystem and adjusts a power density level of the optical signal, taking into account a composition of the PM. A second optical subsystem receives the optical signal from the first optical subsystem and controls the optical signal to help facilitate melting of the PM in a layer-by-layer sequence of operations.