SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR COMPENSATING FOR CALIBRATION PLATE IRREGULARITIES IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

• Main Authors: Halla, Eric Edward, Bailey, Mark Samuel, Adcock, Thomas Charles, McCarthy, Brian Scott, Schmitz, Andrea Marie, Graham, Michael Evans
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.01.2021
• 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; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A method of aligning at least one laser beam of an additive manufacturing arrangement. The method includes measuring a surface of the calibration plate at a plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes generating a correction field based on the plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes writing at least one fiducial mark on the surface of the calibration plate using the at least one laser beam. The method further includes generating calibration data for the surface of the calibration plate using the calibration system. The method also includes aligning the laser beam within the additive manufacturing system based on the calibration data and the correction field using the computing device by comparing a position of the fiducial mark from the calibration data with the correction field to determine a corrected position of the laser beam.