Multi-Beam Metal AM Overlap Layout for Boundary Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing metal powder additive manufacturing systems face challenges in aligning multiple melting beam sources, leading to defects such as pores, insufficient melting, and misaligned surfaces due to thermal drift, manufacturing tolerances, and mechanical errors, especially when creating complex geometries or larger objects.

Innovation Solution

The system employs a method where a portion of the object is built in an overlapping field region using a border section formed by one melting beam and an internal section formed by a different melting beam, with overlapping edges to compensate for misalignment in both X and Y directions, ensuring precise alignment and reducing defects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple melting beam sources are employed to increase production speed or create larger objects, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to alignment defects at the boundaries between beams

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction speedVSAvoidalignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the object into multiple portions, each processed by a separate melting beam source. Each beam is responsible for a specific region, allowing parallel processing that increases productivity while maintaining precision through dedicated beam control in each segment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary overlapping region where multiple melting beams converge. This overlapping field region acts as a mediator that ensures seamless integration between portions processed by different beams, eliminating alignment defects at boundaries by having all beams contribute to the same shared region.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If multiple melting beam sources are used to form objects faster, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for precise alignment and calibration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction speedVSAvoidalignment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the field regions of multiple melting beam sources into a common overlapping workspace. By combining the beams' operational areas rather than maintaining strictly separate zones, the system reduces the complexity of alignment and calibration while maintaining high productivity through parallel processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If adjacent field regions are used by different melting beam sources, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to defects at the boundaries between regions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction speedVSAvoiddefect rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing an overlapping field region where all melting beam sources are calibrated to converge. This preliminary setup ensures that when multiple beams process portions simultaneously, they all contribute to the same shared boundary region, preventing defects before they occur rather than correcting them afterward.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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 enhances the quality of the objects by reducing defects, improving mechanical interlocking, and allowing for quicker machine setup with reduced calibration needs, while maintaining production speed and efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

The melting may be performed by, for example, a high powered melting beam, such as a 100 Watt ytterbium laser, to fully weld (melt) the metal powder to form a solid metal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLaser melting: Laser

Implementation Method 2

In metal powder additive manufacturing techniques, such as selective laser melting (SLM) and direct metal laser melting (DMLM), metal powder layers are sequentially melted together to form the object

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSelective laser melting: Selective Laser Sintering

Data Source

PatentUS11524364B2Overlapping border and internal sections of object formed by different am melting beam sources in overlapping field region

Publication Date: 2022.12.13 GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECH LLC

AI summary

A method for additive manufacturing an object is disclosed. The method includes, for a first portion of the object to be built in a first overlapping field region of a plurality of melting beams of a metal powder AM system, sequentially forming each layer of the first portion by: forming only a border section of the first portion of the object using a first melting beam of the plurality of melting beams in the first overlapping field region; and forming an internal section of the first portion of the object within the border section using at least one second, different melting beam from the first melting beam in the first overlapping field region. An entirety of an internal edge of the border section of the first portion of the object is overlapped with an entirety of an external edge of the internal section of the first portion of the object.