IP Library Granted Patent US 12,233,478
Granted Patent B2
US 12,233,478 · App. 16/589,362 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Laser-assisted additive manufacturing

Inventor: Stavros G. Demos (Livermore, CA)
Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC
B23K26/342B23K26/0604
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,233,478
App. No.
16/589,362
Granted
Feb 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Laser additive manufacturing apparatus, systems, and methods for the fabrication of high quality freeform high value structures. The apparatus, systems, and methods utilize a material powder having varying particle size and shape as raw material. It can also be adopted to use a wire as the feed material.

Claims (18)

1. An additive manufacturing method using a substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a linear additive manufacturing material supply by providing a stream of powder particles using a device that contains a first element that controls the flow rate of the stream of powder particles and a second element that controls the cross sectional area of the stream of powder particles;

using gravity to control the motion of the particles producing a linear stream of powder particles directed linearly straight downward by said gravity, wherein said linear stream of powder particles has a first side and a second side wherein said second side is diametrically opposite said first side;

directing a first ablation energetic beam from a first ablation energetic source to the first side of the linear stream of powder particles, and directing a second ablation energetic beam from a second ablation energetic source to the diametrically opposite second side of the linear stream of powder particles, so that the first and second ablation energetic beams remove oxidation and contamination from said linear additive manufacturing material supply;

directing one laser melting beam onto said first side of said linear stream of powder particles above laser substrate melting beam and directing another laser melting beam onto said second side of said linear stream of powder particles that is diametrically opposite said first side of said linear stream of powder particles melting said linear stream of powder particles above laser substrate melting beam forming a melted linear stream of powder; and

directing a laser substrate melting beam and said melted linear stream of powder particles to the substrate to produce the part.

2. An additive manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:

providing a linear additive manufacturing material supply by providing a stream of powder particles using a device that contains a first element that controls the flow rate of the stream of powder particles and a second element that controls the cross sectional area of the stream of powder particles;

using gravity to control the motion of the particles producing a linear stream of powder particles that is directed linearly straight downward by said gravity and to a substrate, wherein said linear stream of powder particles has a first side and a second side, and wherein said second side is diametrically opposite said first side;

directing multiple diametrically opposite laser beams, including directing one laser beam onto said first side of said linear stream of powder particles and directing another laser melting beam onto said diametrically opposite second side of said linear stream of powder particles melting said linear stream of powder particles forming a melted linear stream of powder particles;

providing a substrate melting energetic beam and a substrate melting energetic beam source that produces said substrate melting energetic beam, wherein said substrate melting energetic beam is directed to said substrate, wherein said substrate melting energetic beam is located below said one laser beam and said another laser beam; and

directing said melted linear stream of powder particles to said substrate to produce the part.

3. An additive manufacturing method, comprising the steps of:

providing a linear additive manufacturing material supply by providing a stream of powder particles using a device that contains a first element that controls the flow rate of the stream of powder particles and a second element that controls the cross sectional area of the stream of powder particles;

using gravity to control the motion of the particles producing a linear stream of powder particles directed linearly straight downward by said gravity and to a substrate, wherein said linear stream of powder particles has a first side and a second side wherein said second side is diametrically opposite said first side;

directing multiple diametrically opposite laser beams, including directing a first laser beam onto said first side of said linear stream of powder particles and directing a second laser beam onto said diametrically opposite second side of said linear stream of powder particles melting said linear stream of powder particles forming a melted linear stream of powder particles;

providing a forging energetic beam and a forging energetic beam source that produces said forging energetic beam, wherein said forging energetic beam is directed to said substrate below said melted linear stream of powder particles; and

directing said melted linear stream of powder particles to said substrate to produce the part.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Dec 4, 2019
From: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
To: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 051174/0332 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 1, 2019
From: DEMOS, STAVROS G.
To: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
Reel/Frame 050583/0537 →
Continuity (2)
Division 14969190 · Dec 15, 2015
Related Publication 20200030916A1 · Jan 30, 2020
References Cited (48)
US 4627896A · Nazmy et al. · 1986 [cited by applicant]
US 4858172A · Stern · 1989 [cited by applicant]
US 5387777A · Bennett et al. · 1995 [cited by applicant]
US 5666325A · Belser et al. · 1997 [cited by applicant]
US 6504127B1 · McGregor et al. · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 6680456B2 · Adams · 2004 [cited by applicant]
US 7020539B1 · Kovacevic · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 8892249B2 · Holman et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9597749B2 · Bruck · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20010004480A1 · Mueller et al. · 2001 [cited by applicant]
US 20030116542A1 · McGregor et al. · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 20030206820A1 · Keicher et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20090218328A1 · Johnson et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20100291401A1 · Medina et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20130105447A1 · Haake · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130136868A1 · Bruck et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140263195A1 · Shuck · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20150024233A1 · Gunther · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150064047A1 · Hyde et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150165556A1 · Jones et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150273631A1 · Kenney et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160114432A1 · Ferrar et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160193696A1 · McFarland et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160279707A1 · Mattes et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20160332371A1 · Staroselsky et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170113303A1 · Rockstroh et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170182556A1 · Ramaswamy et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170232519A1 · Pan et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
DE 10351176A1 · 2005 [cited by examiner]
EP 2543465A2 · 2013 [cited by examiner]
ES 2390533T3 · 2012 [cited by examiner]
GB 2489493A · 2012 [cited by examiner]
JP 3370203B2 · 2003 [cited by examiner]
KR 20140048246A · 2014 [cited by examiner]
KR 20140048246A1 · 2014 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2012119947A1 · 2012 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2013178825A2 · 2013 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2015155745A1 · 2015 [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of WO 2013178825 A2 performed on Apr. 14, 2022, Pialot et al. (Year: 2013). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of ES 2390533 T3 performed on Apr. 15, 2022, Simmons (Year: 2012). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of JP 3370203 B2 performed on Apr. 15, 2022, Ichikawa et al. (Year: 2003). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of ES 2390533 T3 performed on Mar. 21, 2023, Simmons (Year: 2012). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of KR 20140048246 A performed on Jun. 1, 2023, Kennedy et al. (Year: 2014). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of DE 10351176 A1 performed on Jun. 1, 2023, Zeiss et al. (Year: 2005). [cited by examiner]
Machine translation of KR 20140048246 A1 performed on Apr. 15, 2024, Kennedy et al. (Year: 2014). [cited by examiner]
Ding et al. “Wire-Feed Additive Manufacturing of Metal Components: Technologies, Developments and Fugure Interests,” Int. J. Adv. Manuf. Technol., vol. 81, pp. 465-481, 2015. [cited by applicant]
Hickey, “NASA Eyes 3-D Printing Technology for Mars Colonization,” Newsmax, 1 page, 2015. [cited by applicant]
NASA Press Release Sparks Fly as NASA Pushes the Limites of 3-D Printing Technology, Release 14-233, 3 pages, 2014. [cited by applicant]