Patents Examined by Geoffrey S. Evans
  • Patent number: 10613432
    Abstract: Disclosed are a mask treating apparatus and a mask treating method. The mask treating apparatus comprises a process chamber that receives a blank mask package inclusive of a blank mask and performs a process on the blank mask, an unpacking unit that is disposed in the process chamber and unpacks the blank mask package, and a laser marking unit that is disposed in the process chamber and irradiates a laser onto the blank mask to form a fiducial mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yunsong Jeong, Hyunseok Uhm, SunPyo Lee
  • Patent number: 10597321
    Abstract: Processes of chamfering and/or beveling an edge of a glass substrate of arbitrary shape using lasers are described herein. Two general methods to produce chamfers on glass substrates are the first method involves cutting the edge with the desired chamfer shape utilizing an ultra-short pulse laser to create perforations within the glass; followed by an ion exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Sasha Marjanovic, David Andrew Pastel, Garrett Andrew Piech, Jose Mario Quintal, Helmut Schillinger, Sergio Tsuda, Robert Stephen Wagner, Andrea Nichole Yeary
  • Patent number: 10596651
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to communicate via a welding arc are disclosed. An example welding-type power supply includes a power converter, a weld monitor, and an arc modulator. The power converter outputs welding power to sustain a welding-type arc at a welding-type torch. The weld monitor monitors one or more aspects of a weld performed using the welding-type arc and the welding-type torch, and selects an audio message based on the one or more aspects. The arc modulator configured to modify the welding-type arc to output the selected audio message as a plasma speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Craig Steven Knoener, Milad Pashapour Nikou, Andrew James Thielke
  • Patent number: 10596626
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system including a two-dimensional energy patterning system for imaging a powder bed is disclosed. Improved structure formation, part creation and manipulation, use of multiple additive manufacturing systems, and high throughput manufacturing methods suitable for automated or semi-automated factories are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: SEURAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: James A. DeMuth, Erik Toomre, Francis L. Leard, Kourosh Kamshad, Heiner Fees, Eugene Berdichevsky
  • Patent number: 10596661
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an object including the steps of forming layers by adding successive layers of material to form the object by selective laser melting (SLM), and inducing plastic deformation and residual stress into solidified material of at least one of the successive layers of material to improve mechanical properties and a fatigue resistance of the object, wherein the plastic deformation and the residual stress are induced by a laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)
    Inventors: Nikola Kalentics, Roland Logé, Eric Boillat
  • Patent number: 10596662
    Abstract: Various embodiments include approaches for controlling an additive manufacturing (AM) process. In some cases, an AM system includes: a process chamber for additively manufacturing a component, the process chamber at least partially housing a plurality of distinct melting beam scanners, each of the distinct melting beam scanners configured to emit a melting beam, wherein each of the distinct melting beam scanners is independently physically movable within a corresponding region of the process chamber; and a control system coupled with the plurality of distinct melting beam scanners, the control system configured to control movement of at least one of the plurality of distinct melting beam scanners within the corresponding region based upon a geometry of the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Juan Vicente Haro Gonzalez, Felix Martin Gerhard Roerig
  • Patent number: 10589389
    Abstract: An apparatus and related method for cooling a hard metal applied in a molten or semi-molten state to the surface of a metal substrate employ a chill block chilled by a cryogenic coolant conducted through a coolant passage in the chill block with at least one ejector port in communication with the coolant passage arranged to eject cryogenic coolant from the chill block onto the hand metal for further cooling the hard metal. An alloy steel substrate preheated to 300 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit has a hard metal applied thereto by an arc welding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: LIQUIDMETAL COATINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Hewy E. Jackson, Choongnyun Paul Kim, John Kang
  • Patent number: 10589382
    Abstract: A method for additive manufacturing an object is disclosed. The method includes, for a first portion of the object to be built in a first overlapping field region of a plurality of melting beams of a metal powder AM system, sequentially forming each layer of the first portion by: forming only a border section of the first portion of the object using a first melting beam of the plurality of melting beams in the first overlapping field region; and forming an internal section of the first portion of the object within the border section using at least one second, different melting beam from the first melting beam in the first overlapping field region. An entirety of an internal edge of the border section of the first portion of the object is overlapped with an entirety of an external edge of the internal section of the first portion of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Felix Martin Gerhard Roerig, Juan Vicente Haro Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 10589438
    Abstract: A knit includes a knitted fabric into which a ground yarn is knitted and a heater wire configured to be energized to generate heat to heat a vehicle member. The heater wire is inlaid into the knitted fabric by inlay stitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: JOYSON SAFETY SYSTEMS JAPAN K.K.
    Inventor: Kenshi Nagata
  • Patent number: 10589379
    Abstract: A method for producing a tube from metal is stated, by use of which method a metal strip by means of a drawing-off installation is moved in the longitudinal direction of said metal strip and is guided through a forming station in which said metal strip is formed to a slot tube having a slot running the in the longitudinal direction. The two edges of the metal strip abut to one another at the slot. Said two ends for producing a fully closed tube are welded to one another by use of a welding installation that is equipped with a laser. The slot tube after leaving the forming station is initially moved into the region of the laser and is then stopped. Thereafter, the regions of the edges of the slot tube that are to be welded to one another are pre-treated by the laser. Thereafter, the power of the laser is set to the welding power thereof that corresponds to the welding temperature, and by switching on the drawing-off installation the slot tube is simultaneously moved in the longitudinal direction of the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: NEXANS
    Inventors: Rainer Soika, Claus-Friedrich Theune
  • Patent number: 10583468
    Abstract: A laser coating removal system includes a detector and a controller. The detector detects wavelengths associated with radiative emission of elements in laser-induced plasma generated by the laser coating removal. The controller generates concentration data based on the wavelengths, the concentration data indicating concentration of the elements in the laser-induced plasma, and notifies a user of the laser coating removal system in response to concentration of one of the elements in the laser-induced plasma being greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Surclean, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Hagedorn, Donald Sprentall
  • Patent number: 10583512
    Abstract: A method and a welding torch for gas tungsten arc welding is provided for, wherein an electric arc burns between a non-consumable electrode and a workpiece. The interior of the electrode has a cavity through which an electrically conducting filler is fed in the direction of the workpiece, the filler being energized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Erwan Siewert
  • Patent number: 10583532
    Abstract: A metal powder additive manufacturing system and method are disclosed that use increased trace amounts of oxygen to improve physical attributes of an object. The system may include: a processing chamber; a metal powder bed within the processing chamber; a melting element configured to sequentially melt layers of metal powder on the metal powder bed to generate an object; and a control system configured to control a flow of a gas mixture within the processing chamber from a source of inert gas and a source of an oxygen containing material, the gas mixture including the inert gas and oxygen from the oxygen containing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Donnell Eugene Crear, Chad Joseph Dulkiewicz, Archie Lee Swanner, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10583529
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing method includes providing a first and second scanners with fields of view that at least partially overlap. The method includes applying a layer of powder-based materials to the part bed and providing a number of laser sources that direct a number of laser beams to the first and second scanners. The laser beams are directed from the scanners to the part bed to selectively fuse the material to produce a layer of a three-dimensional part. The layer is formed by selectively directing laser energy to the material in a selected pattern, and synchronizing the movement of the laser beams to continuously process the selected pattern in each layer of the three-dimensional part. An additive manufacturing system includes first and second laser sources, first and second scanners, and a controller configured to operate the scanners and laser(s) for producing the three-dimensional printed part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: EOS of North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Damien Francis Gray
  • Patent number: 10562132
    Abstract: Laser additive manufacturing systems and apparatus using laser wavelengths below 800 nm. Raman laser modules having laser pump sources in the blue wavelength range. Matching functional laser beam wavelength with maximum absorption wavelengths of starting materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Nuburu, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark S. Zediker
  • Patent number: 10562136
    Abstract: A plate is continuously press-bent, into a shaped member having a recess opening at one surface (i.e., lower surface). Then, the plate is bent back by pressing, at the front and rear ends, covering the openings of the recess and a side frame having open cross sections, each with a gap, is thereby formed. In the forming step, the side frame is not welded and has open cross sections, each with a gap. The side frames are then subjected to the next step (i.e., step of assembling the seat frame). In the step of assembling the seat frame, the side frames and coupling members are welded together, constituting a substantially rectangular seat frame. As the side frames are so welded in step of assembling the seat frame, a rigid structure each having closed cross sections with no gaps is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromi Yamamoto, Yasushi Kaku
  • Patent number: 10562288
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system includes an ultrasonic inspection system integrated in such a way as to minimize time needed for an inspection process. The inspection system may have an ultrasonic phased array integrated into a build table for detecting defects in each successive slice of a workpiece and such that each slice may be re-melted if and when defects are detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Anton I. Lavrentyev, Alexander Staroselsky, Sergey Mironets
  • Patent number: 10562120
    Abstract: An EDT apparatus 1 is disclosed, comprising a dielectric fluid return system for use with an EDT machine of the type in which the workpiece is not submersed in dielectric fluid. The return system comprises a first collector 19 for catching spills from a dielectric bath 9 associated with a set of electrodes 10 which apply electrical pulses to the workpiece through the dielectric fluid in the bath. Also, a separate, second collector 21 is positioned substantially beneath the workpiece and arranged both to receive fluid from the first collector 19 and to catch fluid that drips from the workpiece itself, the second collector being connected to a pump 13 which returns the fluid from the second collector to the dielectric bath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SARCLAD LIMITED
    Inventors: Mark David Wybrow, Nigel Hyde Corbett
  • Patent number: 10537956
    Abstract: Various welding systems including a welding torch assembly are provided. The welding torch assemblies may include a welding torch adapted to be utilized in a welding operation to establish a welding arc between the welding torch and a workpiece. The welding torch assemblies may also include a temperature sensing system integral with the welding torch and adapted to sense a temperature of the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Derek Yu-Fung Hung, John Alan Luck, Mark Steven Kadlec
  • Patent number: 10525551
    Abstract: A cladding-by-welding device, an erosion shield forming method, and a turbine blade manufacturing method forming an erosion shield having high erosion resistance including: a powder supply head; a laser head; a line generator configured to irradiate a measurement line beam; a imaging device; a movement mechanism configured to move the powder supply head and the laser head with respect to a base body; and at least one controller configured to cause a projection image on the base body of the measurement line beam acquired by the imaging device to overlap a predetermined position of the imaging device, to set a position where the projection image overlaps the predetermined position of the imaging device as a copying position, to control the movement mechanism based on the copying position, and to move the powder supply head and the laser head with respect to the base body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HITACHI POWER SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takehisa Okuda, Motonari Machida, Yasuo Matsunami