Concept Laser Gmbh

General Electric Company

Cl Schutzrechtsverwaltungs Gmbh

Fabian Zeulner

Florian Bechmann

Frank Herzog

Jens Stammberger

Ralf Hetzel

Alexander Hofmann

Tobias Bokkes

MacKenzie Ryan Redding

Christian Dicken

Stephan Hunze

Tim Klaußner

Justin Mamrak

Christian Diller

Marie-Christin Ebert

Markus Lippert

Bertram Gaerber

Frank Schödel

Rachel Wyn Levine

Philipp Schumann

Tim Döhler

David Scott Simmermon

Markus Stark

Johanna Hoch

Martin Wachter

Pascal Krause

Maik Zimmermann

Alexey Tarasov

Dagmar Wohlfarth

Laura L Banks

Florian Dr Bechmann

Mackenzie Ryan Redding

Tobias Bakkes

A system for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, comprising one or more working stations, which are provided for performing at least one working process in the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, at least one freely positionable mobile storage unit comprising a rack-like storage device comprising at least one storage room provided for storing at least one powder module, especially for the purpose of conveying the powder module between different working stations of the system, and at least one driverless, freely movable mobile conveying unit comprising a receiving device provided for receiving at least one mobile storage unit for the purpose of conveying the storage unit between different working stations of the system.

Plant for additively manufacturing of three-dimensional objects

Apparatus () for additively manufacturing 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 source, wherein a position determination device () is provided that is adapted to determine position data relating to a position of at least one part () of at least one object () based on a detection of a reflected part () of an energy beam () or a measurement beam () that is reflected at the at least one part () of the at least one object ().

Apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects

A process monitoring system for an additive manufacturing apparatus includes a scanner, a sensor device, and an optical focus-tracking device. The scanner includes an optical adjustment device that directs a melting beam emitted by a laser melting device onto a construction plane to generate a melting section of the construction plane. The sensor device may detect reflected radiation from the melting section and generate sensor data indicative of a size, shape, and/or temperature corresponding to the melting section. The optical focus-tracking device includes a focusing lens located between the scanner and the sensor device. The focusing lens may be actuatable by electronic machine data derived from the sensor data to impart a first focus adjustment with respect to the reflected radiation detected by the sensor followed by a second focus adjustment with respect to the melting beam directed by the optical adjustment device.

Device for the additive production of three-dimensional components

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a laser beam source emitting a laser beam, a build platform, a powder source depositing a layer of powder onto the build platform, and a scanning assembly disposed along an optical path between the laser beam source and the build platform. The scanning assembly comprises at least one solid state optical deflector that modifies at least one of a size or an impingement location of the laser beam on the layer of powder at a scanning position of the laser beam. The at least one solid state optical deflector may be used to heat treat the layer of powder either before or after the powder is melted.

Additive manufacturing using solid state optical deflectors

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 additive manufacturing machine includes an energy beam system situated in a fixed position relative to a reference plane coinciding with an expected location of a build plane, an energy beam system with an irradiation device configured to generate an energy beam and to direct the energy beam upon the build plane, and a position measurement system configured to determine a position of the build plane. A position measurement assembly includes one or more position sensors, and one or more mounting brackets configured to attach the one or more position sensors to an energy beam system of an additive manufacturing machine. The position measurement assembly is configured to determine a position of a build plane with the energy beam system situated in a fixed position relative to a reference plane coinciding with an expected location of the build plane.

Build plane measurement systems and related methods

A method of additively manufacturing a three-dimensional object may include allocating irradiation of respective ones of a plurality of sequential layers of construction material between a first region and a second region based at least in part on a first irradiation time and/or a second irradiation time. Irradiation of the first region is allocated to a first scanner and the first irradiation time is indicative of a time required for the first scanner to irradiate the first region with respect to at least one of the plurality of sequential layers of construction material. Irradiation of the second region is allocated to a second scanner and the second irradiation time is indicative of a time required for the second scanner to irradiate the second region with respect to at least one of the plurality of sequential layers of construction material. The first irradiation time and the second irradiation time may be at least approximately the same.

Method and apparatus for controlling the exposure of a selective laser sintering or laser melting apparatus

An apparatus () for the additive manufacturing of at least one three-dimensional object () by selectively compacting layer by layer at least one compactible building material () by means of at least one energy beam () generated by at least one radiation generating device (), comprising at least one radiation generating device () for generating at least one energy beam () for compacting at least one compactible building material (), at least one coating device () for carrying out at least one coating operation to apply a defined building material layer () of at least one compactible building material () to a building plane () or to a building material layer () of at least one compactible building material () that has previously been applied in the course of carrying out a previous coating operation, and also at least one recording device () for recording layer information describing.

Methods for damage detection during additive manufacturing of at least one three-dimensional object using detected layer information and smoothness

Apparatus () for additively manufacturing 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 at least one energy beam (), which apparatus () comprises an irradiation device () with at least one beam guiding element () on which the energy beam () is partially reflected, wherein a first beam part () extends between the beam guiding element () and a build plane () of the apparatus () and a second beam part () is transmitted through or scattered at the beam guiding element (), wherein a determination device () is provided that is adapted to determine at least one parameter of the second beam part ().

An irradiation assembly for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include an irradiation device and a magnetic mounting device configured to displaceably support the irradiation device. The irradiation device may include one or more illumination elements respectively configured to emit an energy beam. The magnetic mounting device may include a magnetic slider element coupled to the irradiation device and a magnetic stator element couplable to a housing structure of an additive manufacturing machine. The magnetic stator element may include a displacement track configured to guide the magnetic slider element along a movement path above at least a portion of a construction plane of the additive manufacturing machine while the one or more illumination elements respectively emit the energy beam to selectively irradiate build material at specified regions of the construction plane.

Apparatus for the additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional object

A system () for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, comprising one or more working stations (), which are provided for performing at least one working process in the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, at least one freely positionable mobile storage unit () comprising a rack-like storage device () comprising at least one storage room () provided for storing at least one powder module (), especially for the purpose of conveying the powder module () between different working stations () of the system (), and at least one driverless, freely movable mobile conveying unit () comprising a receiving device () provided for receiving at least one mobile storage unit () for the purpose of conveying the storage unit () between different working stations () of the system ().

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.

An unpacking device () for unpacking an additively manufactured three-dimensional object () from the unsolidified construction material () surrounding it after completion of an additive construction process, wherein the unpacking device () is formed as a robot () having at least three robot axes (A-A), especially an industrial robot, wherein at least one unpacking tool () is arranged or formed on a robot axis (A), which is provided for unpacking an additively manufactured three-dimensional object () from the unsolidified construction material () surrounding it after completion of an additive construction process, or the unpacking device () comprises at least one such robot ().

Unpacking device for unpacking an additively manufactured three-dimensional object from the surrounding construction material

A device for producing three-dimensional objects by successively solidifying layers of a construction material that can be solidified using radiation on the positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object, with a housing comprising a process chamber, a construction container situated therein, an irradiation device for irradiating layers of the construction material on the positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object, an application device for applying the layers of the construction material onto a carrying device within the construction container or a previously formed layer, a metering device for delivering the construction material, wherein the application device comprises a coating element which distributes the construction material delivered by the metering device as a thin layer in an application area along a linear application movement, wherein at the end of a coating process for a layer when returning the coating elementto a coating starting position.

Device for producing three-dimensional objects by successively solidifying layers and an associated method and evasive return movement with coating device

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 source, with a filter unit () adapted to filter residues from at least one stream of process gas (), characterized by at least one positioning device () adapted to at least partly automatically transfer the filter unit () or at least a part of the filter unit between a disconnected state in which the filter unit () is disconnected from the stream of process gas () to a connected state in which the filter unit () is connected to the stream of process gas ().

Growing community of inventors

Lichtenfels, Germany

Fabian Zeulner