Method for verifying characteristics of an electron beam

• Main Author: Lock Tomas
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.01.2017
• 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; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CASTING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROTHERAPY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MACHINE TOOLS; MAGNETOTHERAPY; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION; MEASURING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; RADIATION THERAPY; 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; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; ULTRASOUND THERAPY; 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

A method is provided for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of a powder bed. The method includes the steps of: applying a first powder layer on a work table; directing an electron beam from an electron beam source over the work table, the directing of the electron beam causing the first powder layer to fuse in first selected locations according to a pre-determined model, so as to form a first part of a cross section of the three dimensional article, and intensity modulating X-rays from the powder layer or from a clean work table with a patterned aperture modulator and a patterned aperture resolver, wherein a verification of at least one of a size, position, scan speed, or shape of the electron beam is achieved by comparing detected intensity modulated X-ray signals with saved reference values.