US 12,070,898 B2
Additive manufacturing device with acousto-optic deflector and related methods
Christopher A. Corey, Palm Bay, FL (US); Randall K. Morse, Palm Bay, FL (US); Peter A. Wasilousky, Indian Harbour Beach, FL (US); Arthur C. Paolella, Indian Harbour Beach, FL (US); Carrigan L. Braun, West Melbourne, FL (US); and Catheryn D. Logan, Melbourne, FL (US)
Assigned to EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC, Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed by EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC, Melbourne, FL (US)
Filed on Nov. 12, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/096,074.
Prior Publication US 2022/0143905 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/135 (2017.01); B23K 26/06 (2014.01); B23K 26/082 (2014.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B29C 64/255 (2017.01); B29C 64/268 (2017.01); B29C 64/286 (2017.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/135 (2017.08) [B23K 26/0643 (2013.01); B23K 26/082 (2015.10); B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B29C 64/255 (2017.08); B29C 64/268 (2017.08); B29C 64/286 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing device comprising:
a laser source configured to generate a laser beam;
a build material holder configured to hold an additive build material;
first and second controllable deflectors coupled sequentially in a series and having a first scan rate;
first and second acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) arranged to operate at orthogonal angles and coupled sequentially in a series upstream from the first and second controllable deflectors, each AOD having a second scan rate faster than the first scan rate; and
a controller configured to
control the first and second controllable deflectors and the first and second AODs to scan the laser beam relative to the build material holder to additively manufacture a workpiece in successive layers from the additive build material, and
control the first and second controllable deflectors to define a scanline trace of pixels on the additive build material, and while controlling the first and second AODs to define a respective subpixel pattern within each pixel so that a given pixel has a flattened pixel intensity profile from summation of multiple iterations of a Gaussian subpixel intensity profile,
the scanline trace of pixels on the additive build material configured to have
different subpixel lasing patterns within adjacent pixels, and
the respective subpixel pattern within each pixel being offset from the scanline trace of pixels.