IP Library Granted Patent US 12,397,353
Granted Patent B2
US 12,397,353 · App. 17/343,500 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Additive manufacturing with photo-acoustic tomography defect testing

Inventors: Francis L. Leard (Sudbury, MA); James A. DeMuth (Woburn, MA); Andrew J. Bayramian (Marblehead, MA)
Assignee: Seurat Technologies, Inc.
B22F12/90B22F10/28B22F10/80B22F12/41B22F12/45B23K26/032B23K26/342B33Y10/00B33Y30/00B33Y50/00G01B11/0666G01B11/2441G01N29/043G01N29/045G01N29/2418G01N2291/0289
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,397,353
App. No.
17/343,500
Granted
Aug 26, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An additive manufacturing method supporting layer by layer testing includes a layer test including generating a hammer beam using laser light having a first wavelength, generating a read-out beam using laser light having a second wavelength, directing the generated hammer beam toward a first layer on a part to provide an acoustic hammer pulse that induces surface movement of the part, and reading the surface movement of the part using the read-out beam directed to a second position on the part. Layers can be added and the layer test repeated.

Claims (32)

1. An additive manufacturing method comprising:

conducting a layer test on a part comprising one or more layers, the layer test comprising:

generating a two-dimensional patterned beam comprising a hammer channel having a first wavelength and a plurality of read-out channels having a second wavelength;

directing the two-dimensional patterned beam toward a layer on the part to provide an acoustic hammer pulse using the hammer channel to induce surface movement of the part, and

reading a response to the plurality of read-out channels based on the surface movement of the part;

adding a layer to the part by performing a corrective action based on the response; and

repeating the layer test.

2. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional pattern beam is generated by an additive writing system and laser ultrasonic imaging system (LUIS).

3. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein an additive writing system performing the additive manufacturing method shares at least some laser light beams with a laser ultrasonic imaging system (LUIS).

4. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying sub-surface defects using the layer test.

5. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising mapping surface topography using the layer test.

6. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising simultaneously identifying sub-surface defects and mapping surface topography using the layer test.

7. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , wherein the corrective action comprises adjusting a powder bed temperature for annealing the part.

8. The additive manufacturing method of claim 1 , further comprising correcting defects based on information from the layer test and using the hammer beam to direct ultrasound energy into a melt pool to control at least one of grain size and grain distribution.

9. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:

an addressable light patterning unit to receive a light beam and emit light as a two-dimensional patterned beam;

a laser ultrasonic imaging system (LUIS) that generates a hammer beam having a first wavelength and a plurality of read-out beams having a second wavelength, wherein the hammer beam and the read-out beams are arranged in a two-dimensional pattern; and

an image relay to receive the two-dimensional patterned beam and focus it as a two-dimensional image on a part being additively manufactured on a powder bed and to relay a response to the plurality of read-out beams to an interferometer, the response generated based on surface movement of the part induced by the hammer beam.

10. The additive manufacturing system of claim 9 , wherein the addressable light patterning unit comprises a transmissive spatial light modulator.

11. The additive manufacturing system of claim 9 , wherein the addressable light patterning unit comprises a reflective spatial light modulator.

12. The additive manufacturing system of claim 9 , wherein addressable light patterning unit modulator comprises an optically addressed light valve.

13. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:

a beam patterning unit to generate a first two-dimensional patterned laser beam from a laser beam;

a plurality of beam switching units to direct two-dimensional patterned energy beams;

a plurality of beam steering units to receive and direct the first two-dimensional patterned laser beam;

a laser ultrasonic imaging system (LUIS) that generates a hammer beam using laser light having a first wavelength and a read-out beam using laser light having a second wavelength

at least one powder bed to receive at least a portion of the directed two-dimensional patterned laser beam from at least one of the plurality of energy steering units and also receive a second two-dimensional pattern laser beam comprising a hammer channel based on the generated hammer beam and a plurality of read-out channels based on the generated read-out beam,

wherein the hammer channel is configured to induce a surface movement at a part being additively manufactured at the powder bed and the plurality of read-out channels is configured to generate a response from the part based on the induced surface movement.

14. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:

an additive writing system capable of forming a part; and

a laser ultrasonic imaging system (LUIS) that generates a two-dimensional patterned beam comprising a hammer channel having a first wavelength and a plurality of read-out channels having a second wavelength, the two-dimensional patterned beam being directed against the part,

wherein the hammer channel is configured to induce a surface movement at the part and the plurality of read-out channels is configured to generate a response from the part based on the induced surface movement.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2025
From: SEURAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: FIRST-CITIZENS BANK & TRUST COMPANY
Reel/Frame 073909/0977 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 9, 2021
From: DEMUTH, JAMES A.; BAYRAMIAN, ANDREW J.; LEARD, FRANCIS L.
To: SEURAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 056491/0155 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63036900 · Jun 9, 2020
Related Publication 20210379670A1 · Dec 9, 2021
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