Granted Patent B2

US 12,285,801 · App. 17/331,014 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Inventors: Andrew J. Bayramian (Marblehead, MA); April L. Cooke (Billerica, MA); Cote LeBlanc (Malden, MA); Drew W. Kissinger (Carlisle, MA); Francis L. Leard (Sudbury, MA); Harold W. Chittick (North Andover, MA); James A. DeMuth (Woburn, MA); Jeffrey Jarboe (Wakefield, MA); Joseph Gillespie (Boxford, MA); Kourosh Kamshad (Hudson, NH); Nicholas C. Ferreri (Portsmouth, NH); Ning Duanmu (Nashua, NH); Susanne Kras (Chelmsford, MA); Summer Kapuaimilia Mundon (Medford, MA); Yiyu Shen (Tewksbury, MA); J. Thare MacDonald (Middleton, MA)

Assignee: Seurat Technologies, Inc.

B22F10/28B22F12/30B22F12/38B22F12/41B22F12/52B22F12/67B22F12/90B33Y10/00B33Y30/00B33Y40/00

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A print engine of an additive manufacturing system,

comprising:

a laser engine comprising a frame to hold at least one removable field replaceable unit that comprises at least some laser optics or patterning optics; and

a print station comprising;

a removable cartridge comprising a sealable chamber having a bed, a powder spreader configured to sweep powder across the bed, and a laser transparent window,

a galvo optical system, the galvo optical system further comprising;

an optical alignment system using a periscope in the removable field replaceable unit to align the removable field replaceable unit with respect to the bed in the removable cartridge; and

a print head mounted to an X-Y gantry,

wherein the print station is configured to hold the removable cartridge containing powder therein, wherein the print head is capable of traversing an entire area of the bed of the removable cartridge; and,

wherein the removable cartridge and the at least one removable field replaceable unit are removable from the print engine.

2. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the removable cartridge comprises a powder hopper positioned within the sealable chamber, and wherein the powder spreader further distributes the powder from the powder hopper onto the bed.

3. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the frame of the laser engine is actively mechanically damped.

4. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein laser light is passed between multiple field replaceable units.

5. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising connections to a facility station that provides gas, fluid, electrical, control, and database systems to the at least one removable field replaceable unit and the removable cartridge.

6. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a print cartridge transporter unit.

7. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a field replaceable unit transporter unit.

8. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the laser engine directs a two-dimensional patterned laser beam into the removeable cartridge.

9. The print engine of the additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one removable field replaceable unit is configured to direct a laser beam to another removable field replaceable unit.

10. A print engine of an additive manufacturing system, comprising:

a laser engine comprising a frame to hold multiple removable field replaceable units;

a print station comprising;

a removable cartridge comprising a sealable chamber having a bed, a powder spreader configured to sweep powder across the bed, and a laser transparent window,

a galvo optical system, the galvo optical system further comprising;

an optical alignment system using a periscope in a removable field replaceable unit in to align the removable field replaceable unit with respect to the bed in the removable cartridge; and

a print head mounted to an X-Y gantry,

wherein the print station is configured to hold the removable cartridge containing powder therein, wherein the print head is capable of traversing an entire area of the bed, and each field replaceable unit has at least some laser optics or patterning optics to direct a laser beam toward the removable cartridge in the print station via the galvo optical system; and,

wherein the removable cartridge and the multiple removable field replaceable units are removable from the print engine.

11. A print engine of an additive manufacturing system, comprising:

a laser engine comprising a frame to hold multiple removable field replaceable units; and

a print station comprising;

the removable cartridge comprising a sealable chamber having a bed, a powder spreader configured to sweep powder across the bed, and a laser transparent window;

a galvo optical system, the galvo optical system further comprising:

an optical alignment system using a periscope in a removable field replaceable unit to align the removable field replaceable unit with respect to the bed in the removable cartridge; and

a print head mounted to an X-Y gantry,

wherein the print station is configured to hold the removable cartridge containing powder therein,

wherein each field replaceable unit has at least some laser optics or patterning optics to direct a laser beam toward the removable cartridge in the print station, with the laser beam passing through multiple field replaceable units before direction into the removable cartridge by the print head, wherein the print head is capable of traversing an entire area of the bed; and wherein,

the removable cartridge and the multiple removable field replaceable units are removable from the print engine.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (18)