Direct laser additive fabrication system with image feedback control

The present invention relates generally to additive fabrication equipment, and more specifically to adaptations whereby such equipment can be operated under closed-loop feedback control in response to changes in an image of the immediate growth environment. Such adaptations can greatly improve the dimensional tolerance and minimum feature size attainable by such machines. A closed-loop, feedback-controlled direct laser fabrication system is disclosed. The feedback refers to the actual growth conditions obtained by real-time analysis of thermal radiation images. The resulting system can fabricate components with severalfold improvement in dimensional tolerances and surface finish.