Renishaw Plc

Lpw Technology Ltd.

Ben Ian Ferrar

Philip Carroll

Robert Deffley

David R McMurtry

Geoffrey McFarland

Christopher John Sutcliffe

Nicholas John Weston

Ceri Brown

Ian Robert Thomas Ashton

Stephan Kloss

Rob James Deffley

Ben Robinson

This invention concerns a laser solidification apparatus for building objects by layerwise solidification of powder material. The apparatus including a build chamber containing a build platform, a device for depositing layers of powder material on to the build platform, an optical unit for directing a laser beam to selectively solidify areas of each powder layer and a spectrometer for detecting characteristic radiation emitted by plasma formed during solidification of the powder by the laser beam. The invention also relates to a spectrometer for detecting characteristic radiation generated by interaction of the metal with the or a further laser beam. The spectra recorded using the spectrometer may be used for feedback control during the solidification process.

Additive manufacturing apparatus and method

A method of determining the condition of a metal powder for use in an additive manufacturing process, involving processing an image of the powder to measure a surface property of the powder, such as colour, texture or particle shape. The proportion of powder whose measured surface property falls outside a pre-determined range is determined and can be used to decide whether or not the powder is suitable for re-use. The proportion is determined by identifying individual particles in the image which are identified as statistical outliers amongst all of the particles shown in the image when considering a measured surface property. The relevant proportion may be determined statistically.

Method and apparatus for determining metal powder condition

A powder container () comprising a pressure vessel () for containing a quantity of powder () and a quantity of pressurised gas (), an outlet through which, in use, the powder () can flow out of the pressure vessel (), and an outlet valve () for selectively opening and closing the outlet, wherein the container () further comprises a data sensing and/or logging means () adapted to monitor and/or log various parameters of the powder () and/or the pressurised gas () and further comprising a control unit () adapted record and log the sensor readings either continuously, or at intervals, the control unit () comprising a communications module adapted to relay sensor readings, or log files, to a remote monitoring station.

Transport of powders

A method of selecting a scanning sequence of a laser beam in a selective laser solidification process, in which one or more objects are formed layer-by-layer by repeatedly depositing a layer of powder on a powder bed and scanning the laser beam over the deposited powder to selectively solidify at least part of the powder layers, includes determining an order in which areas should be scanned by: projecting a debris fallout zone that would be created when solidifying each area based on a gas flow direction of a gas flow passed over the powder bed; determining whether one or more other areas to be solidified fall within the debris fallout zone; and selecting to solidify the one or more other areas that fall within the debris fallout zone before solidifying the area from which the debris fallout zone has been projected.

Selective laser solidification apparatus and method

A method of additive manufacture involves building a containerand a structure by fusing powder, such that the container contains the structure and unfused powder. The containermay be used in a method for predicting powder degradation in an additive manufacturing process. Containers containing different types of structure may be built to measure the effect of building different types of structures on powder degradation. A structure to be built may be characterised by classes of structural features it contains and information obtained used from building containers used to predict how building the structure will degrade powder.

Method of manufacture and predicting powder degredation in an additive manufacturing process

A container () adapted to store a quantity of metal powder (), the container () comprising a container body having an opening and a sensing device () for sensing the temperature of the powder () and/or the humidity level inside the container (), wherein a first reading received from the sensing device () is compared to a second reading received from a second sensing device configured to sense the temperature and/or humidity level of an environment outside of the container, and based on the first reading and the second reading, a user is provided within an indication about whether the container can be opened.

Powder transport container

A selective laser solidification apparatus including; a powder bed onto which powder layers can be deposited, at least one laser module for generating a plurality of laser beams for solidifying the powder material deposited onto the powder bed, a laser scanner for individually steering each laser beam to solidify separate areas in each powder layer, and a processing unit. A scanning zone for each laser beam is defined by the locations on the powder bed to which the laser beam can be steered by the laser scanner. The laser scanner is arranged such that each scanning zone is less than the total area of powder bed and at least two of the scanning zones overlap. The processing unit is arranged for selecting, for at least one powder layers, which laser beam to use to scan an area of the powder layer located within a region wherein the seaming zones overlap.

This invention concerns an additive manufacturing apparatus for building objects by layerwise consolidation of material. The apparatus comprises a build chambercontaining a working area, a plurality of high energy beamsfor consolidating material deposited in the working area in layers and an optical unitfor controlling transmission of the high energy beams onto material in the working area. The optical unitcomprises a plurality of independently controllable optical elementseach optical elementfor controlling transmission of at least one of the high energy beams onto the material in the working area, the optical unitmovable in the build chamber

An additive manufacturing apparatus for building objects by layerwise consolidation of material. The apparatus includes a build chamber containing a working area, a plurality of high energy beams for consolidating material deposited in the working area in layers and an optical unit for controlling transmission of the high energy beams onto material in the working area. The optical unit includes a plurality of independently controllable optical elements each optical element for controlling transmission of at least one of the high energy beams onto the material in the working area, the optical unit movable in the build chamber.

A selective laser solidification apparatus including; a powder bed onto which powder layers can be deposited, at least one laser module for generating a plurality of laser beams for solidifying the powder material deposited onto the powder bed, a laser scanner for individually steering each laser beam to solidify separate areas in each powder layer, and a processing unit. A scanning zone for each laser beam is defined by the locations on the powder bed to which the laser beam can be steered by the laser scanner. The laser scanner is arranged such that each scanning zone is less than the total area of powder bed and at least two of the scanning zones overlap. The processing unit is arranged for selecting, for at least one powder layers, which laser beam to use to scan an area of the powder layer located within a region wherein the scanning zones overlap.

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Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom

Ben Ian Ferrar