General Electric Company

Concept Laser Gmbh

Eric Edward Halla

Kishore Ramakrishnan

Shashwat Swami Jaiswal

Peter Pontiller-Schymura

Mohammed Mounir Shalaby

Ramakrishna Venkata Mallina

Michael Evans Graham

Thomas Charles Adcock

Mark Samuel Bailey

Brian Scott McCarthy

Andrea Marie Schmitz

Adam G Susong

Ryan William Van Deest

A build unit for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include an energy beam system having one or more irradiation devices respectively configured to direct one or more energy beams onto a region of a powder bed, and an inertization system including an irradiation chamber defining an irradiation plenum, one or more supply manifolds, and a return manifold. The one or more supply manifolds may include a downflow manifold configured to provide a downward flow of a process gas through at least a portion of the irradiation plenum, and/or a crossflow manifold configured to provide a lateral flow of the process gas through at least a portion of the irradiation plenum. The return manifold may evacuate process gas from the irradiation plenum. While irradiating the region of the powder bed, the process gas may flow through the one or more supply manifolds, into the irradiation plenum, and into the return manifold.

Additive manufacturing build units with process gas inertization systems

A method of aligning at least one laser beam of an additive manufacturing arrangement. The method includes measuring a surface of the calibration plate at a plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes generating a correction field based on the plurality of measurement points using the coordinate measuring machine. The method further includes writing at least one fiducial mark on the surface of the calibration plate using the at least one laser beam. The method further includes generating calibration data for the surface of the calibration plate using the calibration system. The method also includes aligning the laser beam within the additive manufacturing system based on the calibration data and the correction field using the computing device by comparing a position of the fiducial mark from the calibration data with the correction field to determine a corrected position of the laser beam.

System and methods for compensating for calibration plate irregularities in additive manufacturing systems

A build unit for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include an energy beam system having one or more irradiation devices respectively configured to direct one or more energy beams onto a region of a powder bed, and an inertization system including an irradiation chamber defining an irradiation plenum, one or more supply manifolds, and a return manifold. The one or more supply manifolds may include a downflow manifold configured to provide a downward flow of a process gas through at least a portion of the irradiation plenum defined by the irradiation chamber, and/or a crossflow manifold configured to provide a lateral flow of the process gas through at least a portion of the irradiation plenum defined by the irradiation chamber. The return manifold may evacuate or otherwise remove process gas from the irradiation plenum defined by the irradiation chamber.

A powder dispensing assembly for an additive manufacturing machine includes a hopper defining a powder reservoir for receiving additive powder and a plurality of powder distribution modules operably coupled with the hopper. The powder distribution modules include a powder distribution body defining a discharge orifice and a supply gate that fluidly couples the powder reservoir to the discharge orifice. A plunger valve is movably mounted over the discharge orifice and an actuator moves the plunger valve between an open position and a closed position to selectively dispense a flow of additive powder.

Powder dispensing assembly for an additive manufacturing machine

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West Chester, OH, United States of America

Eric Edward Halla