Concept Laser Gmbh

General Electric Company

Cl Schutzrechtsverwaltungs Gmbh

Christian Dicken

Moritz Beck

Fabian Zeulner

Bertram Gaerber

Justin Mamrak

MacKenzie Ryan Redding

Thomas Schulz

Stephan Hunze

Tim Klaußner

Tim Klaussner

Bertram Gärber

Ann-Kathrin Kleinschmidt

An apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects by successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material which can be consolidated by an energy beam, includes an irradiation device including a first and a second irradiation unit adapted to guide a first and a second energy beam. At least two first and two second calibration patterns are generated in at least two different first positions via the first energy beam and the at least two second calibration patterns are generated in at least two different second positions via the second energy beam and position information are determined relating to the positions of the at least two first and second calibration patterns and calibration information are generated relating to a calibration status of the irradiation device based on the determined position information.

Method for calibrating an irradiation device for an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects

Determination device for determining at least one parameter of an energy beam, in particular an energy beam generated via an irradiation device of an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, which determination device comprises two determination units arrangeable or arranged in succession in a beam path of the energy beam, characterized in that each determination unit builds or comprises at least one complementary pattern element, wherein at least two pattern elements of the two determination units complement each other to a superordinate pattern.

Determination device for determining at least one parameter of an energy beam

An additive manufacturing machine includes an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and first and second optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system monitors one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. A light source is configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the first and second optical elements. One or more light sensors detect a reflected beam that is either internally reflected by the first optical element or reflectively propagated between the first and second optical elements. A control system determines, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether at least one of the first and second optical elements exhibits an optical anomaly.

Detecting optical anomalies on optical elements used in an additive manufacturing machine

An adjustment to an irradiation parameter corresponding to a first irradiation unit and/or a second irradiation unit of an irradiation device of an additive manufacturing apparatus may be performed based at least in part on a simulation. The simulation may include simulating generation of a plurality of first calibration patterns by the first irradiation unit and a plurality of second calibration patterns by the second irradiation unit with a simulated change to the irradiation parameter of the irradiation device, and determining a calibration quality value based at least in part on position information relating to the plurality of first calibration patterns and the plurality of second calibration patterns. The calibration quality value may include an indication as to whether a calibration quality of the apparatus would be improved as a result of the adjustment to the irradiation parameter.

Methods of determining at least one parameter of an irradiation device of an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include generating an energy beam and guiding the energy beam across a structured test surface, generating a signal by detecting radiation that is emitted from the test surface, and determining the at least one parameter based on a frequency spectrum of the signal.

Focus adjustment and laser beam caustic estimation via frequency analysis of time traces and 2D raster scan data

Method for calibrating an irradiation device () for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects which irradiation device () comprises at least two irradiation units (), comprising: guiding one of the at least two energy beams () via the corresponding irradiation unit () to a determination region (), preferably a part of a build plane (), for generating a calibration pattern (); imaging at least one part of the determination region () to an on-axis determination unit () of the at least one other irradiation unit (); determining a position of the calibration pattern () in the determination region () on basis of the image of the at least one part of the determination region (); generating calibration information relating to a calibration status of at least one part of the irradiation device () based on the position of the calibration pattern ().

Method for calibrating an irradiation device

Determination device () for determining at least one parameter of an energy beam (), in particular an energy beam () generated via an irradiation device of an apparatus () for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, which determination device () comprises two determination units () arrangeable or arranged in succession in a beam path () of the energy beam (), characterized in that each determination unit () builds or comprises at least one complementary pattern element (), wherein at least two pattern elements () of the two determination units () complement each other to a superordinate pattern ().

Method for calibrating an irradiation device for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects by successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material which can be consolidated by means of an energy beam, which irradiation device comprises a first and a second irradiation unit adapted to guide a first and a second energy beam, wherein at least two first and two second calibration patterns are generated, wherein the at least two first calibration patterns are generated in at least two different first positions via the first energy beam and the at least two second calibration patterns are generated in at least two different second positions via the second energy beam and position information are determined relating to the positions of the at least two first and second calibration patterns and calibration information are generated relating to a calibration status of the irradiation device based on the determined position information.

An additive manufacturing machine may include an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system may be configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing machine may include a light source configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements, and one or more light sensors configured to detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam reflected and/or transmitted by at least one of the one or more optical elements. The additive manufacturing machine may include a control system configured to determine, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether the one or more optical elements exhibit an optical anomaly.

Apparatus () for additively manufacturing of three-dimensional objects () by means of successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material () which can be consolidated by means of an energy beam (), wherein a measuring unit () is provided that is configured to generate information relating to a collimated part () of the energy beam () and information relating to a focused part () of the energy beam ().

Apparatus for additively manufacturing of three-dimensional objects

Methods for calibrating an irradiation device for an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects include generating at least two first and two second calibration patterns, in at least two different first positions and at least two different second positions; determining position information relating to the positions of the calibration patterns; generating a calibration quality value relating to a calibration status of the irradiation device; simulating at least two first calibration patterns and at least two second calibration patterns based on at least one changed irradiation parameter; determining a calibration quality value for the simulated calibration patterns; and repeating the simulation and determination of the calibration quality value until a maximum or minimum calibration quality value is reached.

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Weidenberg, Germany

Christian Dicken