Additive manufacturing in metals with a fiber array laser source and adaptive multi-beam shaping
US10589377B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 6, 2017 |
| Grant date | Mar 17, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 11, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/0014
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A system for LAM that uses a scalable array of individually controllable laser beams that are generated by a fiber array system to process materials into an object using a powder bed, wire feed, or direct deposition. The adaptive control of individual beams may include beam power, focal spot width, centroid position, scanning orientation, amplitude and frequency, piston phase and polarization states of individual beams. These characteristics can be independently adjusted to control LAM characteristics including microstructure, mechanical and surface quality characteristics. The system may also have a set of material sensors that gather information on a material and environment immediately before, during, and immediately after processing. This information can be used to adapt the material processing routine to improve LAM productivity and parts quality. The system also supports a variety of beam shaping methods that improve the quality of produced objects or mitigate processing issues.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.