US 12,325,070 B2
Metal powder bed additive manufacturing apparatus and methods
Adrian Porch, Pontypridd (GB); Steven Cripps, Taunton (GB); and Nyle Parker, Wotton-under-Edge (GB)
Assigned to RENISHAW PLC, Wotton-under-Edge (GB)
Appl. No. 17/615,507
Filed by RENISHAW PLC, Wotton-under-Edge (GB)
PCT Filed May 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/051283
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/240180, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1907714 (GB), filed on May 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0305560 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B22F 12/30 (2021.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/30 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01); B22F 12/10 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); H05B 6/50 (2006.01); H05B 6/62 (2006.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01)
CPC B22F 12/30 (2021.01) [B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/30 (2021.01); B22F 10/366 (2021.01); B22F 12/10 (2021.01); B22F 12/222 (2021.01); B22F 12/38 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); H05B 6/50 (2013.01); H05B 6/62 (2013.01); B22F 10/32 (2021.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A powder bed fusion method comprising
lowering a build platform in a build sleeve,
forming layers of metal powder to form a bed,
operating a scanner to direct an energy beam to consolidate the metal powder at selected regions on each layer and heating the metal powder within a radio wave generator that surrounds the metal powder,
heating the metal powder within a radio wave resonator that surrounds the metal powder using radio waves at a resonant frequency of the radio wave resonator, and
sweeping a frequency of the radio waves across a range of frequencies to identify and/or track the resonant frequency.