Nikon Slm Solutions Ag

Slm Solutions Group Ag

Christiane Thiel

Andreas Wiesner

Jan Wilkes

Daniel Brueck

Lukas Roesgen

Dieter Schwarze

Toni Adam Krol

Karsten Huebinger

Isabell Huebinger

Naveed Iqbal

Arne Neef

Andreas Hoppe

Daniel Brück

Ann-Kathrin Otte

Ralf Labes

Felix Mutz

Simon Steven

Simon Mueller

Isabell HÜBINGER

The invention relates to a method for controlling an irradiation system (), the irradiation system () being used in a device () for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional workpieces and comprising at least three irradiation units (-), the method comprising the following steps: a) defining an irradiation region (-) for each of the irradiation units (-), the irradiation regions (-) each comprising a portion of an irradiation plane () which extends parallel to a carrier () of the device (), and the irradiation regions (-) being defined such that they overlap in a common overlap region (); b) irradiating a raw material powder layer on the carrier () to produce a workpiece layer; c) arranging a further raw material powder layer on the already jetted raw material powder layer to produce a further workpiece layer. d) The invention also relates to a device for performing this method.

Method and device for controlling an irradiation system for producing workpieces

We describe an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional workpiece, the apparatus comprising: a process chamber for receiving a material from which the three-dimensional workpiece is producible using an additive layer manufacturing technique, wherein the process chamber comprises a translucent window; an irradiation device for irradiating, through the translucent window, the material for producing the three-dimensional workpiece; and an enclosure arranged between the translucent window of the process chamber and the irradiation device, wherein at least a part of the enclosure is translucent for an irradiation beam stemming from the irradiation device to travel from the irradiation device through the enclosure to the material for producing the three-dimensional workpiece, wherein the enclosure comprises an inlet and an outlet, and wherein the apparatus is configured to control a flow of a fluid through the enclosure via the inlet and the outlet.

Apparatus and method

The application relates to a device for producing three-dimensional workpieces, the device including: a structural surface designed to receive a molding compound; and an irradiation arrangement designed to selectively irradiate the molding compound on the structural surface with electromagnetic radiation, in order to produce a workpiece by means of generative layer construction, where the irradiation device comprises a plurality of irradiation units, the irradiation units being designed to irradiate an individual region of the structural surface respectively associated with the irradiation units, and where the beams emitted by the irradiation units respectively have a cross-sectional surface corresponding to between approx. 2% and approx. 170% of the surface of the respectively associated individual region. The application also relates to the use of such a device and to a method for producing three-dimensional workpieces by means of such a device.

Production of three-dimensional workpieces by means of a plurality of irradiation units

The invention relates to a control method for controlling a multi-beam apparatus having one or more beam sources for producing a plurality of beams of a system for manufacturing a three-dimensional workpiece by means of an additive layer construction method, in which method a material that can be solidified in order to manufacture the three-dimensional workpiece is applied in layers to a surface of a carrier and the material that can be solidified is solidified by the plurality of beams in a respective layer at points of incidence of the plurality of beams on the material that can be solidified, wherein the points of incidence of the beams for solidifying selective regions of the layers of the material that can be solidified in order to manufacture the three-dimensional workpiece are each controlled substantially against a gas flow direction of a gas flow over the surface of the carrier; wherein the control method comprises (a) dividing the material to be solidified in the respective layer into at least two sections, wherein two of the at least two sections extend in the gas flow direction of the gas flow prevailing over the two of the at least two sections in succession at least in part, (b) dividing at least one of the two of the at least two sections into at least two surface pieces, (c) assigning each of the surface pieces to exactly one specific beam, which solidifies the material to be solidified in the assigned surface piece, (d) controlling the points of incidence of the beams such that, at at least one point in time during an exposure of the material to be solidified, the material to be solidified is solidified in at least two surface pieces, and a network consisting of straight lines extending between each center point of the points of incidence to every other center point of the points of incidence, at no point in time during the exposure, in which all center points of the points of incidence are located outside of a predetermined distance from each other, has a straight line parallel to the gas flow direction of the gas flow prevailing over the two of the at least two sections.

Control method, control device and production apparatus

An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece is provided. The apparatus comprises an irradiation unit comprising at least one scanning unit configured to scan a radiation beam over an uppermost layer of raw material powder to predetermined sites of the uppermost layer of the raw material powder in order to solidify the raw material powder at the predetermined sites. An axis corresponding to the radiation beam when it impinges on the uppermost layer of raw material powder at an angle of 90° is defined as a central axis for the scanning unit. The apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to receive work piece data indicative of at least one layer of the three-dimensional work piece to be produced, and assign at least a part of a contour of the layer of the three-dimensional work piece to the at least one scanning unit. According to a first aspect, the control unit is configured to generate control data for controlling the irradiation unit, the control data defining a scan strategy of the radiation beam such that for more than 50% of a predefined length, the radiation beam moves away from the central axis, the predefined length being defined as a length the radiation beam moves along the contour assigned to the at least one scanning unit, excluding sections concentric with regard to the central axis. Further, corresponding methods and computer program products are provided.

Apparatus and method for producing a three-dimensional work piece

A device () for calibrating an irradiation system () of an apparatus () for producing a three-dimensional work piece is suggested, the irradiation system () comprising a first irradiation unit () for selectively irradiating a first irradiation beam () along a first operating axis () onto an irradiation plane () and a second irradiation unit () for selectively irradiating a second irradiation beam () along a second operating axis () onto the irradiation plane (), wherein the device () comprises: control unit () adapted to control the first irradiation unit () so as to irradiate the first irradiation beam () onto the irradiation plane () according to an irradiation pattern () and to control the second irradiation unit () so as to displace the second operating axis () relative to the irradiation plane () such that the second operating axis () traverses the irradiation pattern () produced by the first irradiation unit () onto the irradiation plane (); and a detecting unit () adapted to detect process emissions emitted from a region of an impingement point () on the irradiation plane () at which the second operating axis () of the second irradiation unit () passes the irradiation plane () and to output signals indicative of the detected process emissions to the control unit (); and wherein the control unit () is further adapted to determine a position (x, y) of the irradiation pattern () produced by the first irradiation unit () on the irradiation plane (); determine a position (x', y&#x2032;) of at least one intersection point () between the irradiation pattern () produced by the first irradiation unit () and the second operating axis () of the second irradiation unit () based on the signals output by the detecting unit (); and calibrate the irradiation system () based on the determined position (x, y) of the irradiation pattern () produced by the first irradiation unit () and the determined position (x&#x2032;, y&#x2032;) of the at least one intersection point.

Device and method for calibrating an irradiation system of an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece

An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece comprises a process chamber accommodating a carrier for receiving a raw material powder and an irradiation device for selectively irradiating electromagnetic or particle radiation onto the raw material powder applied onto the carrier in order to produce the work piece from said raw material powder by an additive layer construction method, the irradiation device comprising at least one radiation source and at least one optical unit with a plurality of optical elements. A heat transfer arrangement is configured to transfer heat generated by a heat source to the at least one optical unit of the irradiation device. The apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to control the heat transfer arrangement so as to adjust a temperature of the at least one optical unit of the irradiation device.

Apparatus for producing a three-dimensional work piece with process temperature control

Growing community of inventors

Lübeck, Germany

Christiane Thiel