General Electric Company

Patrick M Kenney

Christian Xavier Stevenson

John William Moores

David Corsmeier

Dustin Eugene Lindley

Seetharamaiah Mannava

Vanon D Pratt

Joseph J Jackson

Lucas Christian Jones

Jonathan Ortner

Shane Matthew Gillespie

Ping Wang

Henry MacLaren

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing with improved powder distribution capabilities. Specifically, the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure incorporate powder distribution vanes to improve the lateral deposition of powder from a hopper. Such methods and apparatuses have the potential to reduce powder overhead costs, mitigate associated health and environmental risks, and increase manufacturing efficiency.

Modified frame and recoating system

The present disclosure generally relates to methods for additive manufacturing (AM) that utilize rail support structures in the process of building objects, as well as novel rail support structures to be used within these AM processes. The rail support structures include a plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls, each wall extending substantially parallel to a direction from the first side to the second side. Adjacent walls of the plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls are separated by a portion of unfused powder. An object is formed above the plurality of substantially parallel vertical walls.

Methods and rail supports for additive manufacturing

A method and apparatus for fabricating an object. The method and apparatus entail applying a pulsed laser energy to a first quantity of a powder material on a substrate so as to fuse particles of the powder material into a first layer on the substrate, and then forming at least one additional layer on the first layer by applying a pulsed laser energy to at least a second quantity of the powder material on the first layer so as to fuse particles of the powder material into the at least one additional layer on the first layer. The pulsed laser energy is applied in a controlled manner such that solidification dynamics of the first and second quantities of the powder material are altered to promote at least one microstructural characteristic of the first and additional layer.

Additive manufacturing method and apparatus

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes: a coater including: at least one trough including a plurality of side-by-side deposition valves.

Coater apparatus and method for additive manufacturing

A method for manufacturing a composite material comprises the steps of furnishing a layer of a matrix material, forming a groove in the matrix-material layer using a laser to remove material from the layer of matrix material in the form of a groove, and placing a reinforcement into the groove. Preferably, the surface of the layer of matrix material is smoothed with a laser beam prior to formation of the groove. In most instances, more than one layer is desired, and the steps of furnishing, forming, and placing are repeated, using the same or different materials, to build up a multilayer composite material. Cylindrical, flat, or curved panel composite materials can be readily prepared, using metal, intermetallic, or ceramic materials for the matrix.

Growing community of inventors

Akron, OH, United States of America

Patrick M Kenney