OPTIMAL DIMENSIONAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LASER SINTERED HARDWARE BY THERMAL ANALYSIS AND PARAMETER OPTIMIZATION

• US 20100174392A1
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Incorporated (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fink, Jeffrey E., Shapey, Bryon L., Taylor, Tracy L., Narvett, Lori A.
• Application Number:
  US12/505,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/104
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/80 Data acquisition or data processing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2203/03 for feed-back
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/00 Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2037/90 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/371 using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A process for establishing manufacturing parameters includes computer simulating a manufacture of a laser-sintered part based on a set of manufacturing parameters, calculating a set of physical properties of the simulated manufacture, and modifying the set of manufacturing parameters based on the calculated set in order to obtain a desired set of physical properties.

Claims

1. A process for establishing manufacturing parameters, comprising:

(a) computer simulating a manufacture of a laser-sintered part based on a set of manufacturing parameters;

(b) calculating a set of physical properties of the simulated manufacture; and

(c) modifying the set of manufacturing parameters based on the calculated set in order to obtain a desired set of physical properties.

2. The process as recited in claim 1, including repeating steps (a)-(c) using the modified manufacturing parameters from each repetition for the next repetition to progressively reduce a deviation until the deviation meets predetermined requirements of the laser-sintered part.

3. The process as recited in claim 1, further including establishing a thermal model of a parts bed of a laser-sintering machine for laser sintering the laser sintered part based on a thermal uniformity value of the parts bed, and computer simulating the manufacture using the thermal model.

4. The process as recited in claim 1, further including establishing a thermal model of a parts bed of a laser-sintering machine for laser sintering the laser sintered part based on empirical data from testing of parts previously formed in the parts bed that are different from the laser-sintered part, and computer simulating the manufacture using the thermal model.

5. The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the manufacturing parameters include temperature set point, laser power, machine stage height, laser offset, and part position.

6. The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical properties include part dimensions.

7. The process as recited in claim 1, wherein the physical properties include mechanical properties.

8. A laser sintering system, comprising:

an optimization module configured to computer simulate a manufacture of a laser-sintered part based on a set of manufacturing parameters, calculate a set of physical properties of the simulated manufacture, and modify the set of manufacturing parameters based on the calculated set in order to obtain a desired set of physical properties.

9. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the optimization module includes a thermal model of a laser-sintering machine parts bed for laser-sintering the laser-sintered part.

10. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, further including a laser sintering machine having a parts bed for building the laser-sintered part and in operative communication with the optimization module to receive the modified manufacturing parameters.

11. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the optimization module includes a thermal model of a laser-sintering machine parts bed for laser-sintering the laser-sintered part, and the thermal model is based on a thermal uniformity value of the parts bed.

12. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the optimization module includes a thermal model of a laser-sintering machine parts bed for laser-sintering the laser-sintered part, and the thermal model is based on empirical data from testing of parts previously formed in the parts bed that are different from the laser-sintered part.

13. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the manufacturing parameters include temperature set point, laser power, machine stage height, laser offset, and part position.

14. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the physical properties include part dimensions.

15. The laser sintering system as recited in claim 8, wherein the physical properties include mechanical properties.

16. A process for creating manufacturing parameters for laser-sintering a part, comprising:

(a) predicting physical properties of a laser-sintered part based on a thermal model of a parts bed of a laser sintering machine and manufacturing parameters that will be used as an input into a laser sintering machine to form the laser-sintered part;

(b) comparing the predicted physical properties to desired physical properties;

(c) modifying the manufacturing parameters to reduce a deviation between the predicted physical properties and the desired physical properties; and

(d) communicating the modified set of process build parameters to the laser sintering machine to form the laser-sintered part.

17. The process as recited in claim 16, including repeating steps (a)-(c) using the modified manufacturing parameters from each repetition for the next repetition to progressively reduce the deviation until the deviation meets predetermined requirements of the laser-sintered part.

18. The process as recited in claim 16, further including establishing the thermal model based on a thermal uniformity value of the parts bed.

19. The process as recited in claim 16, further including establishing the thermal model based on empirical data from testing of parts previously formed in the parts bed that are different than the laser-sintered part that is to be formed in the future.