Patents by Inventor Bertram Gaerber

Bertram Gaerber has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20250065411
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine includes an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system monitors one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. A light source is configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements. One or more light sensors detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam at a perimeter edge of the one or more optical elements. A control system determines, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether at least one of the one or more optical elements exhibits an optical anomaly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2024
    Publication date: February 27, 2025
    Inventors: Fabian Zeulner, Christian Dicken, Justin Mamrak, MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Patent number: 12162073
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine includes an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and first and second optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system monitors one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. A light source is configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the first and second optical elements. One or more light sensors detect a reflected beam that is either internally reflected by the first optical element or reflectively propagated between the first and second optical elements. A control system determines, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether at least one of the first and second optical elements exhibits an optical anomaly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignees: General Electric Company, Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Fabian Zeulner, Christian Dicken, Justin Mamrak, Mackenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Patent number: 11878365
    Abstract: Methods of determining at least one parameter of an irradiation device of an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include generating an energy beam and guiding the energy beam across a structured test surface, generating a signal by detecting radiation that is emitted from the test surface, and determining the at least one parameter based on a frequency spectrum of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Dicken, Ann-Kathrin Kleinschmidt, Tim Klaussner, Bertram Gaerber
  • Patent number: 11865770
    Abstract: Method for calibrating an irradiation device (2) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects which irradiation device (2) comprises at least two irradiation units (3, 4), comprising: guiding one of the at least two energy beams (6, 10) via the corresponding irradiation unit (3, 4) to a determination region (15), preferably a part of a build plane (8), for generating a calibration pattern (18, 19); imaging at least one part of the determination region (15) to an on-axis determination unit (12, 14) of the at least one other irradiation unit (3, 4); determining a position of the calibration pattern (18, 19) in the determination region (15) on basis of the image of the at least one part of the determination region (15); generating calibration information relating to a calibration status of at least one part of the irradiation device (2) based on the position of the calibration pattern (18, 19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: CONCEPT LASER GMBH
    Inventors: Tim Klaußner, Christian Dicken, Bertram Gärber
  • Publication number: 20230381864
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine includes an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and first and second optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system monitors one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. A light source is configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the first and second optical elements. One or more light sensors detect a reflected beam that is either internally reflected by the first optical element or reflectively propagated between the first and second optical elements. A control system determines, based at least in part on assessment data comprising data from the one or more light sensors, whether at least one of the first and second optical elements exhibits an optical anomaly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Fabian Zeulner, Christian Dicken, Justin Mamrak, MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Patent number: 11752558
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine may include an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system may be configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing machine may include a light source configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements, and one or more light sensors configured to detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam reflected and/or transmitted by at least one of the one or more optical elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignees: General Electric Company, Concept Laser GmbH
    Inventors: Fabian Zeulner, Christian Dicken, Justin Mamrak, MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Publication number: 20220331876
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine may include an energy beam system configured to emit an energy beam utilized in an additive manufacturing process, and one or more optical elements utilized by, or defining a portion of, the energy beam system and/or an imaging system of the additive manufacturing machine. The imaging system may be configured to monitor one or more operating parameters of the additive manufacturing process. The additive manufacturing machine may include a light source configured to emit an assessment beam that follows an optical path incident upon the one or more optical elements, and one or more light sensors configured to detect a reflected beam comprising at least a portion of the assessment beam reflected and/or transmitted by at least one of the one or more optical elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Inventors: Fabian Zeulner, Christian Dicken, Justin Mamrak, MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Publication number: 20220111599
    Abstract: A method of operating an additive manufacturing machine may include determining an operational state and/or a remedial event for the machine based on optical anomalies on one or more optical elements of an energy beam system determined by image data from a light sensor that detects a reflected portion of an imaging beam reflected by the optical elements. The remedial event may include a maintenance event and/or a replacement event. An object may be additively manufactured using nominal operating conditions during a nominal operational state, and/or using one or more augmented operating conditions during an augmented operational state. A maintenance operation may be performed, such as cleaning and/or calibrating the one or more optical elements and/or one or more components of the energy beam system, upon having determined the remedial event that comprises the maintenance event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Justin Mamrak, MacKenzie Ryan Redding, Bertram Gaerber
  • Publication number: 20210146617
    Abstract: Methods of determining at least one parameter of an irradiation device of an apparatus for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects may include generating an energy beam and guiding the energy beam across a structured test surface, generating a signal by detecting radiation that is emitted from the test surface, and determining the at least one parameter based on a frequency spectrum of the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Christian Dicken, Ann-Kathrin Kleinschmidt, Tim Klaussner, Bertram Gaerber
  • Publication number: 20200086557
    Abstract: Method for calibrating an irradiation device (2) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects which irradiation device (2) comprises at least two irradiation units (3, 4), comprising: guiding one of the at least two energy beams (6, 10) via the corresponding irradiation unit (3, 4) to a determination region (15), preferably a part of a build plane (8), for generating a calibration pattern (18, 19); imaging at least one part of the determination region (15) to an on-axis determination unit (12, 14) of the at least one other irradiation unit (3, 4); determining a position of the calibration pattern (18, 19) in the determination region (15) on basis of the image of the at least one part of the determination region (15); generating calibration information relating to a calibration status of at least one part of the irradiation device (2) based on the position of the calibration pattern (18, 19).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Applicant: CONCEPT LASER GMBH
    Inventors: Tim KLAUßNER, Christian DICKEN, Bertram GÄRBER