Closed-loop laser power control for metal 3D printing
This technology is a real-time feedback control system for metal 3D printing machines that use lasers to fuse metal powder (laser powder bed fusion). During printing, sensors continuously measure the heat signature coming off the melt pool. A controller compares that live reading against a target value and automatically adjusts the laser's power on the fly to keep the process on track. The result is tighter control over the thermal conditions that determine whether a printed part has defects like porosity or warping.
What you could build
A closed-loop control module — hardware plus firmware — that integrates into commercial L-PBF machines to improve part consistency and reduce scrap rates; target buyers are aerospace, defense, and medical device manufacturers qualifying metal AM parts for critical applications.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based defense contractors and aerospace suppliers (e.g., firms near the Pentagon corridor or Newport News shipbuilding supply chain) investing in additive manufacturing for critical metal components would be natural partners or licensees.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Rongxuan WANG, Benjamin STANDFIELD, Zhenyu KONG, Chaoran DOU
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed March 11, 2024
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20240300020A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.