Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for temperature controlled laser sintering

US5530221A · kind A · utility

87Cited by
11References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 30, 1994
Grant dateJun 25, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 30, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02P10/25
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A temperature-controlled laser sintering system includes a laser beam 12 which is focussed onto a sintering bed 38 by a focussing mirror 26 and a set of scanning mirrors 32, 34. Thermal radiation 114 emitted from the sintering bed 38 are imaged to the scanning mirrors and to a dichroic beamsplitter 110 which reflects such radiation but passes the wavelength of the laser beam 12. The radiation 118 is focussed onto an optical detector 126 which provides a signal on a line 128 to a power control circuit 104. The power control circuit 104 controls a modulator 100 which modulates the power of the laser beam 112 so as to maintain the thermal radiation emission 114 (and thus the temperature at the sintering location) at a substantially constant level.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.