Laser Scan Path Control for Homogeneous Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing methods face challenges in achieving homogeneous object properties due to impurities like metal vapors and spatter, which affect mechanical properties and complicate the manufacturing process, especially in large build areas.
Innovation Solution
The method controls the movement of beam bundles in additive manufacturing by defining angles and sequences to minimize material displacement and impurity deposition, using beam bundle deflection centers and gas flow orientations to improve homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gas flow is passed across the point to be solidified during scanning to remove impurities, then the mechanical properties of the manufactured object improve, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A gas flow is introduced as an intermediary substance to remove impurities (metal vapors, smoke, spatter) from the build area during the laser scanning process. The gas flow acts as a mediator between the laser processing and the impurities, carrying them away from the solidification zone to improve material homogeneity and mechanical properties without requiring complex filtration systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies the scanning parameters by coordinating the movement direction of the beam bundle with the direction of the gas flow. By adjusting the scanning trajectory to match the gas flow direction, the system optimizes impurity removal efficiency while maintaining process simplicity. This parameter coordination ensures that impurities are continuously carried away from the solidification zone throughout the scanning process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the movement direction of the beam bundle is matched to the direction of the gas flow, then object property homogeneity improves, but the coordination of beam movement and gas flow direction complicates the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning system dynamically adjusts the beam movement direction to match the gas flow direction. The control system continuously coordinates the scanning trajectory with the gas flow orientation, allowing the beam to move in sync with the impurity removal direction. This dynamic coordination ensures optimal impurity removal and material homogeneity while maintaining a unified control approach rather than separate independent systems.
3Productivity
If scanning is performed over extensive build areas, then more objects can be manufactured, but inhomogeneities of object properties occur
Solution Approach 1:
The build area is divided into multiple scanning zones that are processed sequentially, with each zone utilizing the gas flow to remove impurities. The scanning process is segmented into coordinated trajectories that match the gas flow direction, ensuring that even over extensive build areas, impurities are continuously removed from each scanned region. This segmentation approach maintains property homogeneity across large build volumes while preserving high manufacturing capacity.
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
This approach results in additively manufactured objects with improved material homogeneity and reproducibility, reducing inhomogeneities and enhancing mechanical properties.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam is moved across those points of a layer of the building material that correspond to the object cross-section of the object to be produced in this layer, so that the building material is solidified at these points
Implementation Method 2
The solidification can be effected, for example, by supplying thermal energy to the building material by irradiating it with electromagnetic radiation
Implementation Method 3
attempts are therefore made to minimize the influence of these impurities on the properties of a manufactured object by passing a gas flow across the point to be solidified during the scanning process
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for controlling an energy input device of an additive manufacturing device. A beam bundle deflection center is assigned to each of the number of beam bundles from which this beam bundle is directed onto the build plane beam bundle deflection center is assigned a projection center corresponding to a perpendicular projection of the position of the beam bundle deflection center onto the build plane directions of the movement vectors of the number of beam bundles when scanning the trajectories are defined such that at each of the solidification points in this section the movement vector has an angle with respect to a connection vector from this solidification point to the projection center of the beam bundle used, which angle is smaller than a predetermined maximum angle γ1.