TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• US 20160375491A1
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Swaminathan, Bharath, Ng, Eric, Patibandla, Nag B., Ng, Hou T., Kumar, Ashavani, Joshi, Ajey M., Frey, Bernard, Krishnan, Kasiraman
• Granted Patent: US 10,335,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/32 of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/17 to heat the build chamber or platform
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/222 for motion along a direction orthogonal to the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/30 Platforms or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/57 Metering means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/295 Heating elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/371 using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system includes a platen having a top surface to support an object being manufactured, a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of precursor material over the platen, a plurality of lamps disposed below the top surface of the platen to heat the platen, and an energy source to fuse at least some of the outermost layer of precursor material.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:

a platen having a top surface to support an object being manufactured;

a dispenser to deliver a plurality of successive layers of precursor material over the platen;

a plurality of lamps disposed below the top surface of the platen to heat the platen; and

an energy source to fuse at least some of the outermost layer of precursor material.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the energy source is configured to direct energy to the outermost layer of powder from a side of the outermost layer farther from the platen.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising a power source to power the plurality of lamps, and wherein power to at least some of the plurality of lamps is independently controllable.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of lamps are arranged in a plurality of radial zones and wherein power to each radial zone is independently controllable.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising a Faraday cage enclosing the plurality of lamps.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the Faraday cage includes a conductive mesh through which light from the plurality lamps pass to radiatively heat the platen.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of lamps are arranged in a plurality of radial zones and the Faraday cage isolates each radial zone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the platen comprises a conductive plate and the system comprises a radio frequency (RF) power source to apply RF power to the conductive plate.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising a Faraday cage surrounding the plurality of lamps, the Faraday cage including a conductive mesh through which light from the plurality lamps pass to radiatively heat the plate.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the platen is vertically movable and is supported by a piston rod, and the system comprises a linear actuator to move the platen vertically.

11. The system of claim 8, comprising an RF pin extending through the piston rod to carry power from the RF power source to the conductive plate.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the platen comprises a dielectric layer plate positioned between the plurality of lamps and the conductive plate.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the platen comprises a dielectric coating covering a top surface of the conductive plate.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the platen comprises a dielectric ring laterally surrounding the conductive plate.

15. A method of additive manufacturing, comprising:

dispensing a plurality of successive layers of precursor material over a support;

heating the support using a plurality of lamps disposed below the support; and

applying energy to an outermost layer from an energy source positioned above the support to fuse at least a portion of the outermost layer.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising independently controlling power applied to at least some of the plurality of lamps.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of lamps are arranged in a plurality of radial zones, and comprising independently controlling power applied to each radial zone.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising isolating the plurality of lamps from a region above the support with a Faraday cage.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein heating the support comprises directing light through a conductive mesh of the Faraday cage.

20. The method of claim 15, comprising generating a plasma in a region above the support.