US 12,076,789 B2
Additive manufacturing using a dynamically grown build envelope
Mackenzie Ryan Redding, Mason, OH (US); Justin Mamrak, Loveland, OH (US); and Zachary David Fieldman, West Chester, OH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Appl. No. 16/332,154
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 7, 2017, PCT No. PCT/US2017/064984
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 11, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/132202, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 19, 2018.
Application 16/332,154 is a continuation of application No. 15/406,444, filed on Jan. 13, 2017, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2021/0283692 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B22F 12/67 (2021.01); B29C 64/40 (2017.01); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/36 (2021.01); B22F 10/38 (2021.01); B22F 10/47 (2021.01); B22F 12/44 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 70/00 (2020.01)
CPC B22F 12/67 (2021.01) [B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B29C 64/40 (2017.08); B22F 10/28 (2021.01); B22F 10/36 (2021.01); B22F 10/385 (2021.01); B22F 10/47 (2021.01); B22F 12/44 (2021.01); B22F 12/49 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12); Y02P 10/25 (2015.11)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for fabricating an object comprising:
(a) vertically dispensing powder from a build unit containing a hopper, a recoater blade, and an irradiation emission directing device, the hopper attached to a mounting plate of the build unit, and wherein the irradiation emission directing device is independently movable inside the build unit;
(b) moving the recoater blade across the dispensed powder to form a first layer of powder over at least a portion of a first build area, the recoater blade disposed on the build unit and attached to the mounting plate adjacent to the hopper;
(c) moving the recoater blade across the dispensed powder to form a second layer of powder over at least a portion of a second build area and laterally adjacent the first layer of powder in an xy plane;
(d) irradiating at least part of the first layer of powder within the first build area to form a first fused layer;
(e) repeating steps (a) through (d) to form the object, wherein a build envelope retains unfused powder about the object and has an xy cross sectional area in the xy plane which is larger than a square of a width of the recoater blade.