Patents by Inventor Geoffrey McFarland

Geoffrey McFarland 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: 20240083108
    Abstract: A selective solidification apparatus includes a build chamber, a build platform lowerable in the build chamber, a wiper for spreading powder material across the build platform to form successive powder layers of a powder bed, an energy beam unit for generating an energy beam for consolidating the powder material, a scanner for directing and focussing the energy beam onto each powder layer and a processor for controlling the scanner. The processor is arranged to control the scanner to scan the energy beam across the powder bed to consolidate powder material either side of the wiper when the wiper is moving across the powder bed and to scan the energy beam across at least one of the powder layers during two or more strokes of the wiper across the powder bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri BROWN, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 11780161
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus including a scanner for directing a laser beam on to layers of flowable material to selectively solidify the material to form an object in a layer-by-layer manner. The scanner includes an optical component operable under the control of a first actuator to reflect the laser beam over a first range of angles in a first dimension and the or a further optical component operable under the control of a second actuator to reflect the laser beam over a second range of angles in the first dimension, wherein the second actuator provides a faster dynamic response but a smaller range of movement of the laser beam than the first actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri Brown, Nicholas H H Jones, David G J Ewing, Geoffrey McFarland
  • Publication number: 20230100749
    Abstract: A method builds a workpiece using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the workpiece is built up by consolidating material in a layer-by-layer manner. The method includes receiving an initial geometric model defining surface geometry of the workpiece, determining workpiece slices to be consolidated as layers of the workpiece during the additive manufacturing process from the initial geometric model, determining adjusted positions of the workpiece slices adjusted from initial positions of the workpiece slices as determined from the initial geometric model, the determination of the adjusted positions based upon warping of the workpiece expected to occur during or after the additive manufacturing process, and building the workpiece using the additive manufacturing process, wherein the workpiece slices are formed in the adjusted positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David R. MCMURTRY, Geoffrey MCFARLAND, Ramkumar REVANUR
  • Publication number: 20230042539
    Abstract: A method of monitoring an additive manufacturing apparatus. The method includes receiving one or more sensor signals from the additive manufacturing apparatus during a build of a workpiece, comparing the one or more sensor signals to a corresponding acceptable process variation of a plurality of acceptable process variations and generating a log based upon the comparisons. Each acceptable process variation of the plurality of acceptable process variations is associated with at least one state of progression of the build of the workpiece and the corresponding acceptable process variation is the acceptable process variation associated with the state of progression of the build when the one or more sensor signals are generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2022
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Henry Hannaford JONES, Ceri BROWN, Ramkumar REVANUR, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 11548229
    Abstract: A method builds a workpiece using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the workpiece is built up by consolidating material in a layer-by-layer manner. The method includes receiving an initial geometric model defining surface geometry of the workpiece, determining workpiece slices to be consolidated as layers of the workpiece during the additive manufacturing process from the initial geometric model, determining adjusted positions of the workpiece slices adjusted from initial positions of the workpiece slices as determined from the initial geometric model, the determination of the adjusted positions based upon warping of the workpiece expected to occur during or after the additive manufacturing process, and building the workpiece using the additive manufacturing process, wherein the workpiece slices are formed in the adjusted positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David R McMurtry, Geoffrey McFarland, Ramkumar Revanur
  • Publication number: 20220379552
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus including a scanner for directing a laser beam on to layers of flowable material to selectively solidify the material to form an object in a layer-by-layer manner. The scanner includes an optical component operable under the control of a first actuator to reflect the laser beam over a first range of angles in a first dimension and the or a further optical component operable under the control of a second actuator to reflect the laser beam over a second range of angles in the first dimension, wherein the second actuator provides a faster dynamic response but a smaller range of movement of the laser beam than the first actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri BROWN, Nicholas H H JONES, David G J Ewing, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 11446863
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus including a scanner for directing a laser beam on to layers of flowable material to selectively solidify the material to form an object in a layer-by-layer manner. The scanner includes an optical component operable under the control of a first actuator to reflect the laser beam over a first range of angles in a first dimension and the or a further optical component operable under the control of a second actuator to reflect the laser beam over a second range of angles in the first dimension, wherein the second actuator provides a faster dynamic response but a smaller range of movement of the laser beam than the first actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri Brown, Nicholas H H Jones, David G J Ewing, Geoffrey McFarland
  • Publication number: 20220134433
    Abstract: A method of powder bed fusion additive manufacture includes forming a component in a powder bed in a layer-by-layer process. The method may include sintering, without melting, selected regions of powder with an energy beam to form at least one support adjacent to the component; and melting further selected regions of the powder bed with an energy beam to form a component by layer-by-layer melting of material. The method may include directing an energy beam at selected regions of powder to form a friable support, the friable support including bonded powder which act as a solid and provide compressive support; and melting further regions of the powder bed with an energy beam to form a component by layer-by-layer melting of material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey McFARLAND, Andrew David WESCOTT
  • Publication number: 20220054967
    Abstract: A powder bed fusion apparatus and method includes a build platform for supporting a powder bed onto which layers of a powder can be deposited, a scanner for scanning an energy beam over each layer to fuse selected regions of the powder bed and a gas flow circuit for passing a flow of gas over the powder bed. The gas flow circuit includes a filter assembly including a filter housing through which the gas flows, the filter housing containing a granulate, preferably powder, filter medium for filtering particles from the gas flow. The powder filter medium may correspond to powder used to form the powder bed such as being of the same material as the powder used to form the powder bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David Roberts MCMURTRY, Geoffrey MCFARLAND, Kenneth Cheng-Hoe NAI
  • Publication number: 20210299755
    Abstract: A selective solidification apparatus includes a build chamber, a build platform lowerable in the build chamber, a wiper for spreading powder material across the build platform to form successive powder layers of a powder bed, an energy beam unit for generating an energy beam for consolidating the powder material, a scanner for directing and focussing the energy beam onto each powder layer and a processor for controlling the scanner. The processor is arranged to control the scanner to scan the energy beam across the powder bed to consolidate powder material either side of the wiper when the wiper is moving across the powder bed and to scan the energy beam across at least one of the powder layers during two or more strokes of the wiper across the powder bed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri BROWN, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 11123799
    Abstract: This invention concerns an additive manufacturing apparatus for building objects by layerwise consolidation of material. The apparatus comprises a build chamber 101 containing a working area, a plurality of high energy beams 133, 233 for consolidating material deposited in the working area in layers and an optical unit 135 for controlling transmission of the high energy beams onto material in the working area. The optical unit 135 comprises a plurality of independently controllable optical elements 141, 241 each optical element 141, 241 for controlling transmission of at least one of the high energy beams onto the material in the working area, the optical unit 135 movable in the build chamber 101.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David Roberts McMurtry, Geoffrey McFarland, Nicholas John Weston, Ben Ian Ferrar
  • Publication number: 20210229215
    Abstract: A laser beam scanner including a laser beams positioning optic, a plurality of optical fibres for delivering a plurality of laser beams and a fibre termination optic aligned to direct the laser beams from output ends of the plurality of optical fibres to the laser beams positioning optic. The laser beams positioning optic is movable relative to the fibre termination optic to scan the laser beams across a working surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas John WESTON, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Publication number: 20210146447
    Abstract: This invention concerns a method of monitoring an additive manufacturing apparatus. The method comprises receiving one or more sensor signals from the additive manufacturing apparatus during a build of a workpiece, comparing the one or more sensor signals to a corresponding acceptable process variation of a plurality of acceptable process variations and generating a log based upon the comparisons. Each acceptable process variation of the plurality of acceptable process variations is associated with at least one state of progression of the build of the workpiece and the corresponding acceptable process variation is the acceptable process variation associated with the state of progression of the build when the one or more sensor signals are generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2021
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Henry Hannaford JONES, Ceri BROWN, Ramkumar REVANUR, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 10994335
    Abstract: A selective solidification apparatus includes a build chamber, a build platform lowerable in the build chamber, a wiper for spreading powder material across the build platform to form successive powder layers of a powder bed, an energy beam unit for generating an energy beam for consolidating the powder material, a scanner for directing and focusing the energy beam onto each powder layer and a processor for controlling the scanner. The processor is arranged to control the scanner to scan the energy beam across the powder bed to consolidate powder material either side of the wiper when the wiper is moving across the powder bed and to scan the energy beam across at least one of the powder layers during two or more strokes of the wiper across the powder bed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri Brown, Geoffrey McFarland
  • Patent number: 10983504
    Abstract: This invention concerns apparatus for generating instructions for machines of a manufacturing chain used to manufacture a workpiece. The apparatus comprising a processor arranged to receive a model based definition (MBD) of a workpiece including geometric dimensions and tolerances; receive inputs setting an additive build design for building the workpiece based upon the geometric dimensions; generate additive instructions for an additive manufacturing machine of the manufacturing chain based upon the additive build design; determine a prospective intermediate workpiece product expected from an additive build in accordance with the additive build design; determine differences between the prospective intermediate workpiece product and the model based definition of the workpiece; and generate further instructions for at least one further machine of the manufacturing chain based upon the differences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Geoffrey McFarland, Ramkumar Revanur, Mark Buckingham
  • Patent number: 10933468
    Abstract: A method of monitoring an additive manufacturing apparatus. The method includes receiving one or more sensor signals from the additive manufacturing apparatus during a build of a workpiece, comparing the one or more sensor signals to a corresponding acceptable process variation of a plurality of acceptable process variations and generating a log based upon the comparisons. Each acceptable process variation of the plurality of acceptable process variations is associated with at least one state of progression of the build of the workpiece and the corresponding acceptable process variation is the acceptable process variation associated with the state of progression of the build when the one or more sensor signals are generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Nicholas Henry Hannaford Jones, Ceri Brown, Ramkumar Revanur, Geoffrey McFarland
  • Publication number: 20200094472
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus including a scanner for directing a laser beam on to layers of flowable material to selectively solidify the material to form an object in a layer-by-layer manner. The scanner includes an optical component operable under the control of a first actuator to reflect the laser beam over a first range of angles in a first dimension and the or a further optical component operable under the control of a second actuator to reflect the laser beam over a second range of angles in the first dimension, wherein the second actuator provides a faster dynamic response but a smaller range of movement of the laser beam than the first actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri BROWN, Nicholas H H JONES, David G J EWING, Geoffrey MCFARLAND
  • Patent number: 10479018
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus including a scanner for directing a laser beam on to layers of flowable material to selectively solidify the material to form an object in a layer-by-layer manner. The scanner includes an optical component operable under the control of a first actuator to reflect the laser beam over a first range of angles in a first dimension and the or a further optical component operable under the control of a second actuator to reflect the laser beam over a second range of angles in the first dimension, wherein the second actuator provides a faster dynamic response but a smaller range of movement of the laser beam than the first actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: Ceri Brown, Nicholas H H Jones, David G J Ewing, Geoffrey McFarland
  • Publication number: 20190329323
    Abstract: This invention concerns an additive manufacturing apparatus for building objects by layerwise consolidation of material. The apparatus comprises a build chamber 101 containing a working area, a plurality of high energy beams 133, 233 for consolidating material deposited in the working area in layers and an optical unit 135 for controlling transmission of the high energy beams onto material in the working area. The optical unit 135 comprises a plurality of independently controllable optical elements 141, 241 each optical element 141, 241 for controlling transmission of at least one of the high energy beams onto the material in the working area, the optical unit 135 movable in the build chamber 101.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Applicant: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David Roberts MCMURTRY, Geoffrey MCFARLAND, Nicholas John WESTON, Ben Ian FERRAR
  • Patent number: 10399145
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing apparatus for building objects by layerwise consolidation of material. The apparatus includes a build chamber containing a working area, a plurality of high energy beams for consolidating material deposited in the working area in layers and an optical unit for controlling transmission of the high energy beams onto material in the working area. The optical unit includes a plurality of independently controllable optical elements each optical element for controlling transmission of at least one of the high energy beams onto the material in the working area, the optical unit movable in the build chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: RENISHAW PLC
    Inventors: David Roberts McMurtry, Geoffrey McFarland, Nicholas John Weston, Ben Ian Ferrar