General Electric Company
Additive manufacturing systems including an imaging device and methods of operating such systems

Abstract:

An additive manufacturing system includes a surface holding a particulate and a focused energy source configured to generate at least one beam that moves along the surface to heat the particulate to a melting point creating a melt path. A camera is configured to generate an image of the surface as the at least one beam moves along the surface. The camera has a field of view and is positioned in relation to the surface such that the field of view encompasses a portion of the melt path defining a plurality of rasters. The camera generates a time exposure image of at least the portion of the melt path defining the plurality of rasters.