3D Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) Printers create parts by rendering multiple 2D layers to create 3D parts. The only effective way to create high definition parts is to deliver constant energy through a beam targeted at the print surface. For the past 30 years, SLS and SLM 3D printing companies have been using galvanometers to focus the beam. The galvanometer mechanism involves the use of a pair of oscillating mirrors via objective lenses which need to focus the beam at a constant distance. However, since the beam is moving back and forth, the distance from the beam to the print surface is constantly changing, causing a variable change in the amount of energy hitting its target at every point. Additionally, the beam location accuracy error is growing as the beam moves away from the center. The uneven distribution of energy results in the low-resolution prints we have today. Four significant errors are found in traditional 3D SLS/SLM printers using galvanometers. As the mirrors rotate to deflect the beam, there are evident changes in the beam diameter, shape, speed, location and decrease of output energy. The combination of these non-linear errors increases in magnitude as the beam moves farther from the center and closer to the print edge. 3D printers using galvanometers must use f-theta lenses to maintain a constant speed between laser dots. While this method mitigates some of the print distortions, it does not resolve the other issues described above. Besides, the work area build size is limited by the physical size constraints of the lenses. To address the inherent problems with galvanometers and associated lens systems, Tecnica developed a revolutionary, patented technology that eliminates traditional scanning
errors. This video shoes how a Galvanometer functioned in existing systems and apprises the readers of Tecnica’s technology.
