Applied Materials, Inc.

Ajey M Joshi

Hou Tee Ng

Nag B Patibandla

Ashavani Kumar

Kasiraman Krishnan

Eric Ng

Bernard Frey

Bharath Swaminathan

Raanan Y Zehavi

Paul J Steffas

Kashif Maqsood

Bryan Y Pu

David Masayuki Ishikawa

Jeffrey L Franklin

Sergey D Lopatin

Yunsang Kim

Gao Liu

Walter R Merry

Hongqing Shan

Jong Mun Kim

Roger Alan Lindley

Donghai Wang

Jingbao Liu

Richard Raymond Mett

Hui Zhao

Eric H Liu

Cynthia B Brooks

Guo Ai

Judy Wang

Jitske Trevor

Henry Fong

Robert D Greenway

Zhihui Wang

Takehito Komatsu

Gladys D Quinones

Gabriel Bilek

A dispensing system for an additive manufacturing includes a powder reservoir that contains powder to form an object, and an array of nozzles positioned at a base of the powder reservoir over a top surface of a platen where the object is to be formed. The powder flows from the powder reservoir through the nozzles to the top surface. A respective powder wheel in each nozzle controls a flow rate of the powder. Each wheel has multiple troughs on surface of the wheel. When a motor rotates the wheel, the troughs transport the powder through the nozzle. The rotation speed of the wheel controls the flow rate. For solid parts of the object, the wheel rotates and allows the powder to be deposited on the top surface. For empty parts of the object, the wheel remains stationary to prevent the powder from flowing to the surface.

Removable unit for selective powder delivery for additive manufacturing

A dispensing system for an additive manufacturing apparatus includes a frame, a powder reservoir, an agitator and an array of dispensing units positioned below the powder reservoir. The powder reservoir has a first width along a primary axis, and includes a lower portion and an upper portion that is wider than the lower portion along a second axis perpendicular to the primary axis. The agitator is positioned in the upper portion of the powder reservoir. Each dispensing unit includes a nozzle block that has a passage therethrough that defines a nozzle and provides a respective path for the powder to flow from the powder reservoir to the nozzle, and a valve positioned in the passage in the nozzle block to controllably release powder through the nozzle.

Selective powder dispenser configurations for additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material on the platform, a light source to generate one or more light beams, a first galvo mirror scanner positioned to direct a first light beam onto a topmost layer of the plurality of successive layers, a second galvo mirror scanner positioned to direct a second light beam onto the topmost layer of the plurality of successive layers, and a controller configured to cause the first galvo mirror scanner to direct the first light beam to pre-heat or heat-treat an area of the topmost layer and to cause the second galvo mirror scanner to direct the second light beam to fuse the area of the topmost layer.

Additive manufacturing with multiple mirror scanners

A method of additive manufacturing includes storing a plurality of predetermined cell processing recipes, dispensing a layer of a plurality of successive layers of feed material on a platform, receiving data describing an area of the layer of the feed material to fuse, determining a combination of a plurality of non-overlapping cells that substantially cover the area, and sequentially processing the plurality of cells. Each cell processing recipe includes scan path data indicating a path for an energy beam to follow, and different cell processing recipes having different paths for the energy beam. Each cell of the plurality of cells gets an associated cell processing recipe selected from the plurality of predetermined cell processing recipes. Each cell is processed by causing an energy beam to follow the first path for the cell processing recipe associated with the cell.

Additive manufacturing with cell processing recipes

A simple solution processing method is developed to achieve uniform and scalable stabilized lithium metal powder coating on Li-ion negative electrode. A solvent and binder system for stabilized lithium metal powder coating is developed, including the selection of solvent, polymer binder and enhancement of polymer concentration. The enhanced binder solution is 1% concentration of polymer binder in xylene, and the polymer binder is chosen as the mixture of poly(styrene-co-butadiene) rubber (SBR) and polystyrene (PS). Long-sustained, uniformly dispersed stabilized lithium metal powder suspension can be achieved with the enhanced binder solution. A uniform stabilized lithium metal powder coating can be achieved with simple doctor blade coating method and the resulting stabilized lithium metal powder coating can firmly glued on the anode surface. With the prelithiation of negative electrode by stabilized lithium metal powder, improvements in electrochemical performances are demonstrated in both graphite/NMC and SiO/NMC full-cell.

Anode structure with binders for silicon and stabilized lithium metal powder

An additive manufacturing system includes a platen having a top surface, a support structure, a powder dispenser coupled to the support structure and positioned above the platen and configured to deliver a powder in a linear region that extends along a first axis, a gas dispenser coupled to the support structure in a fixed position relative to the powder dispenser and having an outlet to deliver a gas across the outermost layer of feed material, an energy source configured to selectively fused the layer of powder, and an actuator coupled to the support to move the support with the powder dispenser and the gas dispenser together along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and parallel to the top surface such that the linear region and the outlet sweep along the second axis to deposit the powder in a swath over the platen and deliver the gas.

Additive manufacturing with gas delivery and dispenser on common support

A dispensing system for an additive manufacturing includes a powder source that contains powder to form an object, and an array of nozzles positioned at a base of the powder source over a top surface of a platen where the object is to be formed. The powder flows from the powder source through the nozzles to the top surface. A respective powder wheel in each nozzle controls a flow rate of the powder. Each wheel has multiple troughs on surface of the wheel. When a motor rotates the wheel, the troughs transport the powder through the nozzle. The rotation speed of the wheel controls the flow rate. For solid parts of the object, the wheel rotates and allows the powder to be deposited on the top surface. For empty parts of the object, the wheel remains stationary to prevent the powder from flowing to the surface.

Selective powder delivery for additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing includes successively forming a plurality of layers on a support. Depositing a layer from the plurality of layers includes dispensing first particles, selectively dispensing second particles in selected regions corresponding to a surface of the object, and fusing at least a portion of the layer. The layer has the first particles throughout and the second particles in the selected regions. Alternatively or in addition, forming the plurality of layers includes depositing multiple groups of layers. Depositing a group of layers includes, for each layer in the group of layers dispensing a feed material to provide the layer, and after dispensing the feed material and before dispensing a subsequent layer fusing a selected portion of the layer. After all layers in the group of layers are dispensed, a volume of the group of layers that extends through all the layers in the group of layers is fused.

Apparatus for fusing of multiple layers in additive manufacturing

Selective material dispensing in additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense a plurality of layers of feed material on a top surface of the platform, and an energy delivery assembly. The energy delivery assembly includes a light source to emit one or more light beams, a first reflective member having a plurality of reflective facets, and at least one second reflective member. The first reflective member is rotatable such that sequential facets sweep the light beam sequentially along a path on the uppermost layer. The at least one second reflective member is movable such that the at least one second reflective surface is repositionable to receive at least one of the at least one light beam and redirect the at least one of at least one light beam along a two-dimensional path on the uppermost layer.

Additive manufacturing with energy delivery system having rotating polygon and second reflective member

An additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a part includes a support, a first dispenser to deliver a layer of first particles on a support or an underlying layer on the support, a second dispenser to deliver second particles onto the layer of first particles such that the second particles infiltrate into the layer of first particles, an energy source to fuse the first particle and second particles to form a fused layer of the part, and a controller coupled to the first dispenser, second dispenser and energy source.

Material dispensing and compaction in additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a platform, a dispenser to dispense a plurality of layers of feed material on a top surface of the platform, and an energy delivery system. The energy deliver system includes a light source to emit a light beam, and a reflective member having a plurality of reflective facets. The reflective member is positioned in a path of the light beam to receive the light beam and redirect the light beam toward the top surface of the platform to deliver energy to an uppermost layer of the layers of feed material to fuse the feed material. The reflective member is rotatable such that sequential facets sweep the light beam sequentially along a path on the uppermost layer.

Additive manufacturing with energy delivery system having rotating polygon

An additive manufacturing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an object being manufactured, a feed material dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of feed material over the platen, an energy source positioned above the platen to fuse at least a portion of an outermost layer of feed material, and a coolant fluid dispenser to deliver a coolant fluid onto the outermost layer of feed material after at least a portion of the outermost layer has been fused.

Additive manufacturing with coolant system

Additive manufacturing of an object includes dispensing a plurality of successive layers of powder over a top surface of a platform, fusing an object region in each of the plurality of successive layers to form the object, and fusing a brace region in a particular layer from the plurality of layers to form a brace structure to inhibit lateral motion of the powder. The brace structure is spaced apart from the particular object region by a gap of unfused powder.

Method for forming brace structures for additive manufacturing

A method of additive manufacturing include delivering at least one layer by either depositing a uniform layer of powder on a support and then removing a portion of the layer with a roller with a surface having spatially controlled electrostatic charge, or by depositing powder onto the surface of the roller and moving the roller relative to a support such that the spatially controllable electrostatic charge on the surface of the roller causes transfer of a corresponding portion of the powder from the roller onto the support or an underlying layer.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Ajey M Joshi