Patent US4831230A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4831230A
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Surface shaping and finishing apparatus and method
Assignee: LEMELSON MEDICAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOUNDATION
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Filing: 1986-11-26
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Granted: 1989-05-16
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Expires: 2006-11-26
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus and method for shaping and surface finishing articles and material of manufacture by means of intense radiation. In one form intense radiation, such as generated by an electron beam or beam of coherent light energy generated by a laser is controlled and caused to scan a portion of the surface of an article in such a manner as to selectively erode or vaporize material from the surface stratum of the article to shape or finish the surface thereof. In another form, the beam energy is employed to melt a portion of the surface stratum in a scanning operation wherein the melted material cools and solidifies into a layer having improved physical characteristics. In a modified form, such melted material is caused to flow and vary the shape of the article.
Inventors
- 👤 Jerome H. Lemelson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 00:15
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29D; B29D22/00; B29D22/04; B23; B23K; B23K15/00; B23K15/002; B29C; B29C37/00; B29C37/0025; B29C37/0028; B29C37/0032; B29C41/00; B29C41/02; B29C41/08; B29C45/00; B29C45/14; B29C45/14778; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/48; C23C16/487; B29C35/00; B29C35/02; B29C35/08; B29C35/0805; B29C2035/0838; B29C35/0866; B29C2035/0877; B29C2037/0039; B29C2795/00; B29C2795/002; B29C67/00; B29C67/02; B29C67/04; B29K; B29K2101/00; B29K2101/10; B29K2101/12; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/06; B29K2105/16; B29K2705/00; B29K2707/00; B29K2707/04; B29K2709/00; B29K2709/02; B29K2709/08; B29K2995/00; B29K2995/0018; B29K2995/002; B29K2995/0037; B29K2995/0087; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/722; H; H05; H05K; H05K1/00; H05K1/16; H05K1/162; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/03; H05K2203/0315; H05K2203/11; H05K2203/1142; H05K2203/17; H05K2203/175
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 43
Claim 1
Independent Claim
284 words
An apparatus for selectively eroding material from the surface stratum of a substrate to predeterminate contour shape said substrate, said apparatus comprising: (a) first means for generating radiant energy including means for forming and directing said radiant energy as a beam of collimated radiation, (b) second means for supporting and prepositioning a substrate to be operated on by said radiant energy, a distance from said first means, (c) third means for effecting multi-axis relative movement between said first means and said second means to permit the radiant energy beam generated by said first means to scan a portion of the surface of said substrate, (d) fourth means for controlling said third means to effect the controlled relative movement between said substrate and a radiant energy beam generated by said first means, (e) said first means being operable to generate and direct a narrow beam of radiation of sufficient intensity to erode material from the surface stratum of said substrate as said narrow beam scans said surface, so as to selectively remove material from the surface stratum thereof and to vary the topography of the surface of said substrate intersected by said beam, and (f) master control means connected to control the operation of said first means and daid fourth means to predeterminately control the relative movement between a beam generated by said fist means and a substrate supported by said second means, so as to cause said beam to predeterminately scan a select portion of said substrate and to erode a predetermined amount of material from a select portion of the surface stratum of said substrate scanned by said beam in a manner to effect a predetermined variation in the shape of said substrate.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
284 words
An apparatus for selectively eroding material from the surface stratum of a substrate to predeterminate contour shape said substrate, said apparatus comprising: (a) first means for generating radiant energy including means for forming and directing said radiant energy as a beam of collimated radiation, (b) second means for supporting and prepositioning a substrate to be operated on by said radiant energy, a distance from said first means, (c) third means for effecting multi-axis relative movement between said first means and said second means to permit the radiant energy beam generated by said first means to scan a portion of the surface of said substrate, (d) fourth means for controlling said third means to effect the controlled relative movement between said substrate and a radiant energy beam generated by said first means, (e) said first means being operable to generate and direct a narrow beam of radiation of sufficient intensity to erode material from the surface stratum of said substrate as said narrow beam scans said surface, so as to selectively remove material from the surface stratum thereof and to vary the topography of the surface of said substrate intersected by said beam, and (f) master control means connected to control the operation of said first means and daid fourth means to predeterminately control the relative movement between a beam generated by said fist means and a substrate supported by said second means, so as to cause said beam to predeterminately scan a select portion of said substrate and to erode a predetermined amount of material from a select portion of the surface stratum of said substrate scanned by said beam in a manner to effect a predetermined variation in the shape of said substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, including a chamber supporting said first, second and third means wherein said radiant energy beam is directed through said chamber to intersect the surface of said substrate disposed within said chamber, and means for evacuating air from said chamber in a manner to permit said beam to operate on said substrate in a controlled atmosphere.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein said third means comprises means for movably supporting said second means and motor means for reversably driving said supporting means for said substrate within said chamber, said master control means being operable to control the operation of said motor means to predeterminately move said supporting means for said substrate while controlling the operation of said first means for generating radiant energy.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
101 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 2, including an opening to said chamber through which opening articles, to be operated on by radiant energy of said first means, may pass to be supported within said chamber by said second means, a door for closing off said opening, motor means for opening and closing said door, control means for said motor means operatively connected to said master control means to be controlled thereby in a manner to permit (i) unfinished articles to be fed into said chamber and (ii) articles which have been operated on in said chamber to be removed therefrom.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, including means for generating and directing a flow of gas molecules parallel to the radiant energy beam formed by said first means as it is directed against said substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein said gas flow is in the form of a stream of gas and is operable to cooperate with said beam in selectively eroding material from the surface of said substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 6, including means for introducing particles into said stream of gas.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means is operable to generate radiant energy at sufficient intensity to melt material of said substrate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means comprises an electron gun for generating and directing a beam of electrons at said substrate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 9, including means for focusing said beam of electrons, said focusing means being controlled by said master control means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means comprises a laser for generating a beam of coherent light energy at said substrate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 11, including means for deflection controlling said beam of coherent light energy to cause said beam to selectively scan said substrate, said deflection control means being controlled by said master control means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first means is operable to generate said radiant energy of sufficient intensity to cause said beam to selectively vaporize material from the surface stratum of said substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 13, including means for removing vaporized material from the vicinity of that portion of said workpiece from which said vaporized material is formed by said beam.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, including means for programming said master control means to cause (i) said first means to variably generate said radiation beam and (ii) said third means to vary the relative movement between said beam and said substrate to cause said beam to scan and predeterminately erode material from a plurality of separate portions of said substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
69 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 1, including means for controllably depositing material onto said substrate, said depositing means being controlled by said master control means to permit said substrate to be both predeterminately eroded of a selected amount of its material and to be predeterminately built-up with deposited material so as to permit the controllable shaping of said substrate and the formation of a predetermined composite structure thereof.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
237 words
An apparatus for fabricating electrical circuits, said apparatus comprising in combination: (a) first means for generating radiant energy including means for forming and directing said radiant energy as a beam of collimated radiation, (b) second means for supporting a substrate containing electrical circuit elements a distance from said first means, (c) third means for effecting multi-axis relative movement between said first and second means to permit the radiant energy beam generated by said first means to scan the exposed surface of said electrical circuit containing substrate supported by said second means, (d) fourth means for controlling said third means to effect controlled relative movement between said substrate and said radiant energy beam generated by said first means, (e) said first means being operable to generate a sufficient intensity of said radiant energy beam to erode electrical circuit forming material from the surface stratum of said substrate, and (f) master control means including an electronic computer operatively connected for predeterminately controlling the operation of said first means to cause it to generate and direct its radiations beam at the surface of said substrate and to simultaneously control (i) said fourth means in a manner to effect predetermined relative movement of said second means supporting said electrical circuit containing substrate and (ii) the beam generated by said first means to cause said beam to intersect a select portion of said substrate and controllably erode selected material from said substrate.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
237 words
An apparatus for fabricating electrical circuits, said apparatus comprising in combination: (a) first means for generating radiant energy including means for forming and directing said radiant energy as a beam of collimated radiation, (b) second means for supporting a substrate containing electrical circuit elements a distance from said first means, (c) third means for effecting multi-axis relative movement between said first and second means to permit the radiant energy beam generated by said first means to scan the exposed surface of said electrical circuit containing substrate supported by said second means, (d) fourth means for controlling said third means to effect controlled relative movement between said substrate and said radiant energy beam generated by said first means, (e) said first means being operable to generate a sufficient intensity of said radiant energy beam to erode electrical circuit forming material from the surface stratum of said substrate, and (f) master control means including an electronic computer operatively connected for predeterminately controlling the operation of said first means to cause it to generate and direct its radiations beam at the surface of said substrate and to simultaneously control (i) said fourth means in a manner to effect predetermined relative movement of said second means supporting said electrical circuit containing substrate and (ii) the beam generated by said first means to cause said beam to intersect a select portion of said substrate and controllably erode selected material from said substrate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
63 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 17, wherein said substrate contains at least one electrical circuit element integrally secured to a surface stratum of said substrate. said master control means being operable to effect synchronized operation of said first means and said third means to effect the controlled erosion of a select portion of said electrical circuit element integrally secured to said substrate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 17, including means for guiding and driving said second means to cause said substrate supporting means to move with respect to a beam generated by said first means under the control of said electronic computer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 17, including means for deflection controlling said narrow beam of radiation, said deflection control means being controlled in its operation by said electronic computer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
77 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 17, including means for selectively depositing electrical circuit fabricating material onto selected portions of said substrate, said selective material depositing means being operatively controlled by said master control means to permit said electronic computer to control the fabrication of an electrical circuit on said substrate by effecting the selected erosion of material therefrom and the controlled deposition of selected amounts of said electrical circuit fabricating material in a controlled operational cycle.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
169 words
An apparatus for selectively heating and processing a selected amount of material of the surface stratum of a substrate, said apparatus comprising: (a) first means for generating radiant energy and means for forming a beam of said radiant energy, (b) second means for supporting a workpiece a distance away from said first means, (c) third means for operating said radiant energy generating means to cause it to generate said beam as a collimated beam of radiant energy of sufficient intensity to heat the material of said workpiece, (d) fourth means for directionally controlling said collimated radiant energy beam to cause it to intersect and heat a selet portion of said workpiece, and (e) fifth means for effecting controlled relative movement between said beam and said second means in a manner to cause said beam to selectively scan across a predetermined area of said workpiece at a controlled scanning rate to cause said beam to predeterminately heat a select portion of the material of the surface stratum of said workpiece.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
169 words
An apparatus for selectively heating and processing a selected amount of material of the surface stratum of a substrate, said apparatus comprising: (a) first means for generating radiant energy and means for forming a beam of said radiant energy, (b) second means for supporting a workpiece a distance away from said first means, (c) third means for operating said radiant energy generating means to cause it to generate said beam as a collimated beam of radiant energy of sufficient intensity to heat the material of said workpiece, (d) fourth means for directionally controlling said collimated radiant energy beam to cause it to intersect and heat a selet portion of said workpiece, and (e) fifth means for effecting controlled relative movement between said beam and said second means in a manner to cause said beam to selectively scan across a predetermined area of said workpiece at a controlled scanning rate to cause said beam to predeterminately heat a select portion of the material of the surface stratum of said workpiece.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 22, wherein said first and fifth means are operable to cause said beam to selectively heat and melt a select portion of the surface stratum of said workpiece.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
78 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 22, including a master control means operable for controlling the operation of said first and fifth means to gate the beam directed by said fourth means on and off in synchronization with the controlled relative movement between said beam and said workpiece supported by said first means whereby said beam may be employed to heat select space-separated portions of the material of the surface stratum of workpiece supported by said second means.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
59 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said fifth means for effecting controlled relative movement between said beam and said second means comprises means for controllably driving said means supporting said workpiece in at least one direction so as to carry work supported thereby in controlled movement in a predetermined path through the scanning field of said beam.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
88 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said fifth means for effecting controlled relative movement between said beam and said second means comprises (i) means for deflecting said beam and (ii) means connected to said master control means for controlling said beam deflecting means to cause the scanning axis of said beam to intersect and to scan in a selected path across the surface of said workpiece and to cause said beam to predeterminately heat select portions of the material of the surface stratum of said workpiece.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 26, wherein said first means is operable to generate said beam at sufficient intensity to melt material of the surface of said workpiece as said beam scans said surface.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
51 words
An apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein said first means is operable to generate said beam at sufficient intensity to vaporize material from the surface stratum of said workpiece intersected by said beam to permit the surfaces of workpieces intersected by said beam to be predeterminately surface shaped or contoured.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
193 words
A method for selectively eroding material from a substrate to predeterminately fabricate said substrate, said method comprising: (a) predeterminately relatively positioning a beam generating means and a substrate a distance apart with respect to each other with a select portion of the surface of said substrate facing said beam generating means to permit the beam generated by said beam generating means to intersect said select portion of the surface of said substrate, (b) generating a narrow beam of collimated radiation by energizing said beam generating means at an intensity which is sufficient to permit the beam generated thereby to erode material from the portion of the surface stratum of said substrate intersected by said beam, (c) effecting controlled relative scanning movement between said beam and said substrate while controlling the operation of said beam to cause said beam to selectively scan a select portion of the surface of said substrate and to selectively erode and remove material from said select portion of the surface stratum of said substrate, and (d) as said beam scans and erodes material from said substrate, removing the eroded material from the vicinity of the surface of said substrate.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
193 words
A method for selectively eroding material from a substrate to predeterminately fabricate said substrate, said method comprising: (a) predeterminately relatively positioning a beam generating means and a substrate a distance apart with respect to each other with a select portion of the surface of said substrate facing said beam generating means to permit the beam generated by said beam generating means to intersect said select portion of the surface of said substrate, (b) generating a narrow beam of collimated radiation by energizing said beam generating means at an intensity which is sufficient to permit the beam generated thereby to erode material from the portion of the surface stratum of said substrate intersected by said beam, (c) effecting controlled relative scanning movement between said beam and said substrate while controlling the operation of said beam to cause said beam to selectively scan a select portion of the surface of said substrate and to selectively erode and remove material from said select portion of the surface stratum of said substrate, and (d) as said beam scans and erodes material from said substrate, removing the eroded material from the vicinity of the surface of said substrate.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein said substrate defines an electrical circuit integrally secured to a support, said electrical circuit including said select portion of the surface stratum to perform at least one step in the fabrication of said electrical circuit when said select portion is eroded.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein the erosion of material from said surface stratum of said substrate is operable to surface finish at least a portion of said subtrate by providing a predetermined surface structure therof.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein said substrate defines a support for an electrical circuit, said eroding step forms a cavity in said support, and said method includes depositing electrical circuit forming material within said cavity.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein said beam is operable to volatize material from said substrate to effect the erosion of material from the surface stratum of said substrate.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein the material eroded from the surface of said substrate by said beam of radiation is removed from the vicinity of the area from which it is eroded by a fluid stream directed parallel to said radiation beam in the vicinity of said substrate.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, which includes directing a stream of oxidizing gas against the portion of the surface of said substrate intersected by said beam of radiation to cooperate with the radiant energy of said radiation beam in eroding material from said substrate by melting and vaporizing said material.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method in accordance with claim 35, which includes generating and directing a stream of particles at a high velocity against the area of said substrate intersected by said beam to erode material from said substrate which has been heated by said beam.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, which includes controllably moving said substrate while said beam generating means is energized and directs said beam against said substrate to cause said beam to predeterminately scan and erode a select portion of said substrate from said substrate.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, which includes feeding a fuel to the vicinity of said substrate and the area thereof intersected by said beam and burning said fuel immediately above the area of the substrate intersected by said beam to melt and volatize material of said substrate.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method in accordance with claim 29, wherein said substrate includes surface defects such as surface cracks, cavities and other irregularities which are corrected and finished by melting and solidifying or vaporizing material of the surface stratum of said substrate whch the energy of said beam.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-05-15 | 1992-11-14 | 1993-05-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-05-15 | 1996-11-14 | 1997-05-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-05-15 | 2000-11-14 | 2001-05-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |