MODULATING A WORKING BEAM OF AN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING MACHINE WITH A SOLID-STATE OPTICAL MODULATOR

• Main Authors: Bechmann, Florian, Zimmermann, Maik
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.02.2023
• 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; CASTING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

An irradiation device for an additively manufacturing apparatus may include a working beam generation device configured to provide a working beam, a modulation beam generation device configured to provide a modulation beam, and a solid-state optical modulator that includes a crystalline material that exhibits a change in refractive index in response to photoexcitation of free electrons within the crystalline material. The irradiation device may include a power source coupled to the solid-state optical modulator and configured to introduce free electrons into the crystalline material. The modulation beam may cause photoexcitation of the free electrons within the crystalline material. The photoexcitation of the free electrons within the crystalline material may cause the crystalline material to exhibit a change in refractive index. The working beam, when incident upon the crystalline material, may exhibit a change in one or more parameters, such as a phase shift, attributable at least in part to the change in refractive index exhibited by the crystalline material.