18034578. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME simplified abstract (General Electric Company)

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME

Organization Name

General Electric Company

Inventor(s)

Vadim Bromberg of Niskayuna NY (US)

John Sterle of Clifton Park NY (US)

Carlos H. Bonilla of Lebanon OH (US)

Srinivas Pendurti of Mason OH (US)

Timothy Francis Andrews of Sharonville OH (US)

Victor Fulton of Amelia OH (US)

Jacob Mayer of Cincinnati OH (US)

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18034578 titled 'ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR OPERATING THE SAME

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes an additive manufacturing apparatus that includes a process chamber, a support, a printing assembly, a vision system, and an electronic control unit. The apparatus is capable of dispensing binder according to a programmed deposition pattern and analyzing the dispensed binder pattern for anomalies.

• The apparatus includes a process chamber with a support and a printing assembly.
• A vision system is used to image the dispensed binder pattern.
• An electronic control unit is responsible for controlling the printing assembly, receiving image data from the vision system, and analyzing the dispensed binder pattern.
• The electronic control unit can adjust the programmed deposition pattern based on the analysis to address any anomalies in the dispensed binder pattern.

Potential applications of this technology:

• Additive manufacturing or 3D printing processes.
• Creating complex and precise structures or objects.
• Rapid prototyping and production of customized products.

Problems solved by this technology:

• Ensures the accuracy and quality of the printed objects by detecting anomalies in the dispensed binder pattern.
• Allows for real-time adjustments to the deposition pattern to address any issues during the printing process.

Benefits of this technology:

• Improved efficiency and reliability in additive manufacturing processes.
• Reduces the need for manual intervention or post-processing to fix errors.
• Enables the production of high-quality and precise objects.

Original Abstract Submitted

An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a process chamber having a length, a support extending along the length of the process chamber, a printing assembly, a vision system configured to image a dispensed binder pattern, and an electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the printing assembly, the first actuator, and the vision system. The electronic control unit is configured to cause the printing assembly to traverse the build zone in a forward or reverse direction while dispensing binder according to a programmed deposition pattern, receive image data from the vision system of the dispensed binder pattern resulting from the programmed deposition pattern, analyze the image data to determine whether there is an anomaly in the dispensed binder pattern, and in response to determining the anomaly in the dispensed binder pattern, adjust the programmed deposition pattern for a subsequent traversal of the printing assembly over the build zone to address the anomaly.