US 11,752,558 B2
Detecting optical anomalies on optical elements used in an additive manufacturing machine
Fabian Zeulner, Lichtenfels (DE); Christian Dicken, Bamberg (DE); Justin Mamrak, Loveland, OH (US); MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Mason, OH (US); and Bertram Gaerber, Neustadt bei Coburg (DE)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US); and Concept Laser GmbH, Lichtenfels (DE)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US); and Concept Laser GmbH, Lichtenfels (DE)
Filed on Apr. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/232,648.
Prior Publication US 2022/0331876 A1, Oct. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. B22F 10/85 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/41 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/20 (2021.01); B08B 3/02 (2006.01)
CPC B22F 10/85 (2021.01) [B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 12/41 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing machine, comprising:
an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process;
one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine, the imaging system configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process;
a light source configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements;
one or more light sensors configured to detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam reflected and/or transmitted by at least one of the one or more optical elements; and
a control system configured to determine, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether the one or more optical elements exhibit an optical anomaly based at least in part on a comparison of the assessment data to reference data;
wherein the reference data is determined based at least in part on the reflected beam detected by the one or more light sensors when propagating from a first location of the one or more optical elements at a first time; and
wherein the assessment data is determined based at least in part on the reflected beam detected by the one or more light sensors when propagating from the first location of the one or more optical elements at a second time and/or when propagating from a second location of the one or more optical elements at the first time or the second time.