Concept Laser Gmbh

Ge Additive Germany Gmbh

Kai Hertel

Christian Wacker

Florian Bechmann

Peter Pontiller-Schymura

Tobias Bokkes

Juergen Werner

Benedikt Roidl

Dominic Graf

Patrick Dueck

Maximilian Bauer

Jan Michael Friese

Johannes Stroessner

Methods of additively manufacturing a three-dimensional object by one or more energy beams include selectively directing a first energy beam across a powder bed along a plurality of first hatching paths and a first contour path that defines a first outer contour portion and a first stitching portion, wherein the first outer contour portion at least partially defines a first edge portion of an outer edge of the three-dimensional object, and wherein the first edge portion is non-linear, and selectively directing a second energy beam across the powder bed along a plurality of second hatching paths and a second contour path that at least partially defines a second edge portion of the outer edge of the three-dimensional object, wherein the second edge portion is adjacent the first edge portion, and wherein the first stitching portion extends into the plurality of second hatching paths along a non-linear stitching path.

Additive manufacturing methods and systems

A method of additively manufacturing an object may include defining an interlace path for a plurality of energy beams from an energy beam system based at least in part on a route-finding algorithm. The interlace path may delineate a first contour zone of a build plane assigned to a first one of the plurality of energy beams from a second contour zone of the build plane assigned to a second one of the plurality of energy beams. An exemplary method may additionally or alternatively include outputting a control command based at least in part on the interlace path. The control command may be configured to cause the energy beam system to irradiate a layer of a powder bed with the plurality of energy beams.

Methods of determining an interlace path for an additive manufacturing machine

Method for operating at least one 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 at least one object is being built by successively irradiating layers of the object in a build plane, wherein at least one part of at least one layer of the object is assigned to be irradiated by a first energy beam and at least one other part of at least one layer of the object is assigned to be irradiated by another energy beam, wherein the parts of layers are assigned to be irradiated by one of the at least two energy beams based on a Huffman coding.

Method for operating an apparatus for additively manufacturing of three-dimensional objects

Method for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object, whereby a process gas stream streams across the build plane (BP), whereby the process gas stream is adapted to transport respective fume particles from a layer of build material () which are generated during selective irradiation and consolidation of the respective layer of build material (); wherein it is determined that the process gas stream fulfils a pre-definable or pre-defined scheduling criterion; wherein the start time for starting irradiating and consolidating of a first area (A) and/or the start time for starting irradiating and consolidating the at least one further area (A, An) is determined on the basis of the determination that the process gas stream has fulfilled the pre-definable or pre-defined scheduling criterion.

Method for additively manufacturing at least one three-dimensional object

An apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects includes a scanning unit configured to scan an energy beam over a build plane, and a focusing unit that includes an optical lens or lens system. The focusing unit may be configured to control a focal position of the energy beam based on calibration information. The focal position may be controlled by moving the focusing unit in the z-direction relative to the build plane without changing the focal length of the energy beam. Methods of calibrating such an apparatus may include moving a focusing unit in the z-direction relative to a build plane based on calibration information and scanning an energy beam over at least a portion of the build plane using a scanning unit, with the focusing unit being configured to control a focal position of the energy beam without changing the focal length of the energy beam.

Growing community of inventors

Breitengüßbach, Germany

Kai Hertel