Deviant control in additive manufacturing

Abstract

In one example, an additive manufacturing process includes: making an object slice by slice, including dispensing a first quantity of each of multiple liquid functional agents on to a layer of fusable build material and then irradiating the layer of build material; while making the object, identifying a deviant region in a slice; and dispensing a second quantity different from the first quantity of at least one of the functional agents into a location corresponding to the deviant region.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An additive manufacturing process, comprising:
 making a slice of an object based on process control data, including dispensing a quantity of a functional agent on to a layer of fusable build material according to the process control data and then irradiating the layer of build material;   determining there is a hot region in the slice;   in response to determining there is a hot region in the slice, modifying the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at a location corresponding to each hot region to cool the slice at that location;   determining there is a cold region in the slice;   in response to determining there is a cold region in the slice, modifying the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at the location of each cold region to heat the slice at that location;   repeating the making, determining, and modifying for succeeding slices until determining there are no hot regions and no cold regions; and   continue making object slices based on a last modified process control data until the object is completed.   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , comprising making the object again according to the last modified process control data. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , where the functional agent has a specific light absorbability. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the different quantity of the functional agent to be dispensed at the location of each cold region to heat the slice at that location comprises a greater quantity of the functional agent than previously dispensed. 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the different quantity of the functional agent to be dispensed at the location of each hot region to cool the slice at that location comprises a lesser quantity of the functional agent than previously dispensed. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the different quantity of the functional agent to be dispensed at the location of each cold region to heat the slice at that location is a greater quantity that increases the temperature of the location in the slice and in one or more of the succeeding slices. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the different quantity of the functional agent to be dispensed at the location of each hot region to cool the slice at that location is a lesser quantity that decreases the temperature of the location in the slice and in one or more of the succeeding slices. 
     
     
         8 . A processor readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed cause an additive manufacturing machine to perform a method, the medium comprising:
 make a slice of an object based on process control data, including dispensing a quantity of a functional agent on to a layer of fusable build material according to the process control data and then irradiating the layer of build material;   determine there is a hot region in the slice;   in response to a determination there is a hot region in the slice, modify the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at a location corresponding to each hot region to cool the slice at that location;   determine there is a cold region in the slice;   in response to a determination there is a cold region in the slice, modify the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at the location of each cold region to heat the slice at that location;   repeat the making, determining, and modifying for succeeding slices until it is determined that there are no hot regions and no cold regions; and   continue to make object slices based on a last modified process control data until the object is completed.   
     
     
         9 . The medium of  claim 8 , having instructions to make the object again according to the last modified process control data. 
     
     
         11 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the additive manufacturing machine to:
 determine whether a temperature of the location is below a cold temperature threshold or above a hot temperature threshold.   
     
     
         12 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the additive manufacturing machine to:
 based on modifying the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at a location corresponding to each hot region, dispense a lesser quantity of the functional agent to cool the slice at that location.   
     
     
         13 . The medium of  claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the additive manufacturing machine to:
 based on modifying the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at the location of each cold region, dispense a greater quantity of the functional agent to heat the slice at that location.   
     
     
         14 . An additive manufacturing machine controller implementing the processor readable medium of  claim 8 . 
     
     
         15 . An additive manufacturing machine, comprising:
 a layering device to layer build material over a work area;   an agent dispenser to dispense a functional agent on to layered build material;   a fusing lamp to irradiate patterned build material;   a thermal imaging device to map temperatures in fused build material; and   a controller operatively connected to the layering device, the agent dispenser, the fusing lamp and the thermal imaging device, the controller including a processor and a processor readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed by the processor cause the machine to:   make a slice of an object based on process control data, including to dispense a quantity of the functional agent on to a layer of fusable build material according to the process control data and then irradiating the layer of build material;   determine there is a hot region in the slice;   in response to determining there is a hot region in the slice, modify the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at a location corresponding to each hot region to cool the slice at that location;   repeat the making, determining, and modifying for succeeding slices until determining there are no hot regions; and   continue making object slices based on a last modified process control data until the object is completed.   
     
     
         16 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein to determine there is a hot region in the slice, the instructions include instructions to:
 determine a temperature of the location is above a temperature threshold.   
     
     
         17 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions include instructions to:
 determine there is a cold region in the slice;   in response to determining there is a cold region in the slice, modify the process control data to dispense a different quantity of the functional agent at the location of each cold region to heat the slice at that location;   repeat the making, determining, and modifying for succeeding slices until determining there are no cold regions; and   continue making object slices based on a last modified process control data until the object is completed.   
     
     
         18 . The machine of  claim 17 , wherein to determine there is a cold region in the slice, the instructions include instructions to:
 determine a temperature of the location is below a temperature threshold.   
     
     
         19 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions include instructions to:
 repeat the making, determining, and modifying for a group of succeeding slices until it is determined that there are no hot regions and no cold regions.   
     
     
         20 . The machine of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions include instructions to:
 repeat the making, determining, and modifying for each slice in the succeeding slices until it is determined that there are no hot regions and no cold regions.