US 11,731,365 B2
Calibration method of plurality of scanners in an additive manufacturing apparatus
Ceri Brown, Plaisance-du-Touch (FR)
Assigned to RENISHAW PLC, Wotton-under-Edge (GB)
Appl. No. 16/93,558
Filed by RENISHAW PLC, Wotton-under-Edge (GB)
PCT Filed Apr. 25, 2017, PCT No. PCT/GB2017/051137
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 12, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/187147, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 2, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 1607152 (GB), filed on Apr. 25, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0118481 A1, Apr. 25, 2019
Int. Cl. B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B29C 64/20 (2017.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 12/45 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B22F 10/31 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01)
CPC B29C 64/393 (2017.08) [B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/31 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01); B22F 12/45 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B29C 64/20 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); Y02P 10/25 (2015.11)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a correction of beam steering optics of a scanner of an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising a plurality of scanners, each scanner of the plurality of scanners comprising beam steering optics for directing a corresponding radiation beam to a working plane in which a material is consolidated in layers, the method comprising
controlling the beam steering optics of a pair of the scanners such that a first scanner of the pair directs a radiation beam to form a feature in the working plane and the feature is within a field of view of a detector of a second scanner of the pair, the detector for detecting radiation coming from the working plane that is collected by the beam steering optics of the second scanner,
recording at least one detector value with the detector of the second scanner when the feature falls within the field of view, and
determining a correction value for correcting for misalignment in positioning of the radiation beams by the beam steering optics of the first and second scanners from a comparison of
a position of the feature in the field of view derived from the at least one detector value with
an expected detector position value, the expected position value determined from
a positioning of the steering optics of the first scanner of the pair when forming the feature and
a positioning of the steering optics of the second scanner of the pair when the at least one detector value is recorded.