OPTICAL PATHS FOR LASER ENERGY SOURCES IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Additive manufacturing systems and their methods of use are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a delivery portion of small optical fiber is optically coupled to a large optical fiber by an adiabatic fiber taper. In some instances, an additional reducing taper may be included between the small...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser:	Reeves-Hall, Peter Colin
Format:	Patent
Sprache:	eng
Schlagworte:	ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING CASTING CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING MACHINE TOOLS MAKING METALLIC POWDER MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS OPTICS PERFORMING OPERATIONS PHYSICS POWDER METALLURGY SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING TRANSPORTING WELDING WORKING BY LASER BEAM WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE WORKING METALLIC POWDER WORKING OF PLASTICS WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL
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Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:	Additive manufacturing systems and their methods of use are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a delivery portion of small optical fiber is optically coupled to a large optical fiber by an adiabatic fiber taper. In some instances, an additional reducing taper may be included between the small optical fiber and the adiabatic fiber taper. Increasing the transverse dimension and therefore the cross sectional area of the optical fiber path may reduce the power and/or energy density near the termination of the laser path. Decreased power and/or energy density may provide increased life, reliability, and contamination tolerance of the optic fibers, termination surfaces, and other components located along an optical path connected to a laser energy source.