US 11,679,564 B2
Three-dimensional printing system optimizing contour formation for multiple energy beams
Nachiketa Ray, Leuven (BE); and Jan Plas, Wilsele (BE)
Assigned to LAYERWISE NV, Leuven (BE)
Filed by LayerWise NV, Leuven (BE)
Filed on Jul. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/874,494.
Application 17/874,494 is a division of application No. 16/703,162, filed on Dec. 4, 2019, granted, now 11,440,098.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/785,317, filed on Dec. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0379378 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B22F 12/50 (2021.01); B22F 10/31 (2021.01)
CPC B29C 64/393 (2017.08) [B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B22F 10/31 (2021.01); B22F 12/50 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for manufacturing a three-dimensional (3D) article, the system including a powder dispenser for sequentially dispensing individual layers of powder, a fusing apparatus for generating and scanning a plurality of energy beams including a first beam and a second beam to selectively melt the layers of powder, and a controller, the controller including a processor coupled to a non-volatile memory, the memory storing software instructions, in response to execution by the processor the software instructions cause the controller to:
read a joint alignment uncertainty for at least the first beam with respect to the second beam;
operate the powder dispenser to dispense a layer of powder;
operate the fusing apparatus to selectively fuse the layer of powder including:
operate the first beam to fuse a hatch pattern over an area of the layer of powder; and
operate the second beam to fuse a contour that defines at least part of an outer surface of the 3D article, fusing the contour includes scanning the second beam to circumnavigate the hatch pattern N times, N is an integer at least equal to one and is selected based upon the read joint alignment uncertainty.