POWDER DISTRIBUTION IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL ARTICLES

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed provided on a work table. Said method comprising the steps of: providing at least a first and second powder tank, providing a first type of powder in said first powder tank having a first particle size distribution, providing a second type of powder in said second powder tank having a second particle size distribution, providing a first sub-layer of said first type of powder on said work table, providing a second sub-layer of said second type of powder on top of said first layer of said first type of powder, fusing said first and second sub-layers simultaneously with a high energy beam from a high energy beam source for forming a first cross section of said three-dimensional article.

主权项

1. A method for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one powder layer provided on a work table in a build chamber, which parts correspond to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said method comprising the steps of:
providing at least a first powder tank and at least a second powder tank; providing a first type of powder in said first powder tank having a first particle size distribution; providing a second type of powder in said second powder tank having a second particle size distribution which is different to said first particle size distribution, wherein the smallest particle size in said second particle size distribution is smaller than the smallest particle size in said first particle size distribution; distributing a first sub-layer of said first type of powder on said work table; distributing a second sub-layer of said second type of powder on top of said first sub-layer of said first type of powder, where said first and second sub-layers are forming one of said at least one powder layers; and fusing said first and second sub-layers with a high energy beam from a high energy beam source so as to form a first cross section of said three-dimensional article.