One-step rapid manufacturing of metal and composite parts
First Claim
1. A one-step/method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts from metal and composite parts, comprising the steps of:
- (a) focussing a high power laser beam into a spot location;
(b) feeding material powder into the spot location coaxially to the laser beam;
(c) forming a first deposition layer by directly melting the material powder with the laser beam on a surface supported by an XYZ workstage platform that translates in the XY plane direction; and
(d) forming a second deposition layer on top of the first deposition layer with steps (a) and (b) and by displacing the XYZ workstage platform in the Z plane direction, wherein steps (a), (b), and (c) are used to determine length, width, and thickness of each layer in order to form selected fabricated 3-D parts.
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Abstract
A one-step rapid manufacturing process is used to create three dimensional prototyping parts. Material such as metal, ceramics and the like powder, and wire, and the like, is delivered to a laser beam-material interaction region where it is melted and deposited on a substrate. The melted and deposited material is placed on a XYZ workstation. Three dimensional parts are created by moving the XYZ workstation relative to the laser beam while simultaneously feeding powdered alloys, first in the XY and then in the Z plane. Beam shaping focussing optics can be used to tailor the intensity distribution of the laser beam to the requirements of the deposition layers, and can be used to create parts with desired mechanical or thermodynamic properties. Additional beam splitting and recombining optics can be used to allow powder to be fed at a perpendicular angle to the substrate.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A one-step/method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts from metal and composite parts, comprising the steps of:
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(a) focussing a high power laser beam into a spot location;
(b) feeding material powder into the spot location coaxially to the laser beam;
(c) forming a first deposition layer by directly melting the material powder with the laser beam on a surface supported by an XYZ workstage platform that translates in the XY plane direction; and
(d) forming a second deposition layer on top of the first deposition layer with steps (a) and (b) and by displacing the XYZ workstage platform in the Z plane direction, wherein steps (a), (b), and (c) are used to determine length, width, and thickness of each layer in order to form selected fabricated 3-D parts. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 31)
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16. A one-step system of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts from metal and composite parts, comprising:
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a laser for forming a high power beam into a spot location;
means for feeding material powder into the spot location coaxially to the laser beam;
an XYZ translation support means for forming forming plural deposition layers having different thicknesses, from the laser beam and the material powder; and
a computer for controlling the laser, the material powder feeding means and the XYZ translation support means in order to form selected fabricated 3-D parts in one step. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification