Core-Shell Irradiation Regimes for Additive Manufacturing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing machines face challenges in coordinating energy beams for forming three-dimensional objects, leading to variability in irradiation parameters and suboptimal material properties, particularly in achieving balanced surface areas and irradiation times across object elements.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of core-shell irradiation regimes and core-shell apportioned irradiation regimes, where object elements are divided into core and shell regions with distinct irradiation parameters or devices, to enhance material properties and balance irradiation times, ensuring improved surface quality and productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple energy beams are utilized to form three-dimensional objects, then productivity is improved, but coordination variability increases leading to suboptimal material properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments each object element into distinct core and shell regions, applying different irradiation parameters to each segment. The core region receives one set of parameters while the shell region receives different parameters, allowing optimized material properties for each functional zone while maintaining overall productivity through parallel processing with multiple energy beams.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying spatially varying irradiation parameters within each object element. The core and shell regions are treated differently with specific parameter sets tailored to their functional requirements, ensuring optimal material properties locally while the overall system maintains high productivity through coordinated multi-beam processing.
2Manufacturing precision
If irradiation parameters are varied to improve material properties, then manufacturing precision is improved, but coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the irradiation parameter space into discrete, predefined sets corresponding to different regions (core vs. shell). This segmentation simplifies coordination by reducing continuous parameter optimization to discrete regime selection, making it easier to manage and coordinate across multiple energy beams while maintaining high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic coordination by enabling real-time adjustment of irradiation parameters based on the spatial location and processing state of each object element. The system dynamically selects and switches between predefined irradiation regimes as different regions are processed, maintaining precision while managing complexity through structured adaptability.
3Manufacturing precision
If core-shell irradiation regimes are applied, then material properties are enhanced, but irradiation time imbalance may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic irradiation time adjustment within the core-shell framework. The system monitors and regulates the actual irradiation time spent on core versus shell regions, adjusting processing speeds and beam dwell times in real-time to ensure balanced total irradiation exposure while maintaining the beneficial material property differentiations that arise from the core-shell structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These regimes result in three-dimensional objects with enhanced material properties, such as reduced porosity and increased density in the shell region, and balanced irradiation times across multiple devices, improving both aesthetic and quantitative quality while synchronizing irradiation parameters and maintenance intervals.
Implementation Method 1
Additive manufacturing machines may form three-dimensional objects by solidifying build material with one or more energy beams
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A method of additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include determining an irradiation regime for a plurality of object elements of a layer of an object to be additively manufactured, and forming the plurality of object elements at least in part by irradiating a layer of a build plane with one or more irradiation devices of the additive manufacturing machine. The plurality of object elements may include a core region and a shell region. The shell region may at least partially surround the core region. The irradiation regime for at least one of the plurality of object elements may include a core-shell irradiation regime. Additionally, or in the alternative, the irradiation regime for at least one of the plurality of object elements may include a core-shell apportioned irradiation regime.