Abstract: A thermal management system is provided to control the preheating and cool down of a removable build chamber in a laser sintering system. A thermal management station controls preheating of a removable build chamber to heat the chamber to a temperature at or near the operating temperature of the laser sintering system. After insertion into the laser sintering system and completion of a build the thermal management station controls the cool down of the part cake within the removable build chamber after the chamber has been removed from the laser sintering system.

Abstract: The invention is a method for controllably cooling at least a portion of a part-cake from a laser sintering system to minimize cool down time, maximize throughput, and minimize thermal gradients within the part-cake. The method generally comprises forming one or more thermal transfer channels within the part-cake. The thermal transfer channels can include ducts and cooling fins in the part-cake surrounding the formed part. The method can further comprise removing unfused powder from the ducts and introducing cooling media into the ducts. The invention also includes a part-cake having thermal transfer channels formed therein and a laser sintering apparatus comprising a part-cake containing cylinder having permanent fittings therein for receiving terminal portions of thermal transfer channels formed in the part-cake.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for extending one or both of the discharge electrodes in a transverse discharge gas laser chamber in which one or both the electrodes are subject to a dimensional change due to erosion. Electrode extension can be performed to increase the chamber life, increase laser performance over the life of the chamber, or both. Operationally, the inter-electrode spacing may be adjusted to maintain a specific target gap distance between the electrodes or to optimize a specific parameter of the laser output beam such as bandwidth, pulse-to-pulse energy stability, beam size, etc.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of using the apparatus wherein a radiation emitter is positioned adjacent a sensor apparatus within a process chamber in a laser sinter system that emits radiation to the sensor apparatus and a calibration apparatus receives readings from the sensor apparatus to compare temperature sensings received from the sensor apparatus with set emission signals from the radiation emitter to adjust the temperature sensings to calibrate the sensor apparatus during the forming of a three-dimensional article. The calibration is done repeatedly during the build process of the three-dimensional article.