1. A method for operating an additive manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising:
directing a first energy beam along a surface contour vector in a build plane;
directing a second energy beam along a plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors disposed in the build plane inward of the surface contour vector, a sum of the surface contour vector and the plurality of hatch vectors defining a processed powder region in the build plane; and
directing a third energy beam along an offset contour vector in the build plane, the offset contour vector including a plurality of unprocessed powder regions in the build plane between the surface contour vector and the plurality of hatch vectors.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of directing an energy beam along a plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors comprises:
directing the second energy beam along a continuous path including a plurality of rounded transitional vectors connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of hatch vectors.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors include at least one rounded hatch vector end disposed immediately inward of an inner edge of the surface contour vector such that the plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors and the inner edge of the surface contour vector do not overlap.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein a center line of the offset contour vector overlaps the plurality of rounded hatch vector ends adjacent the plurality of unprocessed powder regions.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the offset contour vector overlaps an inner portion of the surface contour vector adjacent to the plurality of unprocessed powder regions.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein a combination of the surface contour vector, the offset contour vector, and the plurality of hatch vectors define a beam path having no more than two overlapping vectors at any point in the build plane.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein a width of the surface contour vector is substantially equivalent to a width of the offset contour vector.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein a center line of the offset contour vector follows an inner edge of the surface contour vector.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of directing the first energy beam along the surface contour vector is performed prior to the step of directing the second energy beam along the plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of directing the first energy beam along the surface contour vector is performed subsequent to the step of directing the second energy beam along the plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of directing the third energy beam along the offset contour vector is performed between the steps of directing the first energy beam along the surface contour vector and directing the second energy beam along the plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by operating a powder bed additive manufacturing apparatus, the apparatus selected from a group consisting of:
a direct laser sintering apparatus;
a direct laser melting apparatus;
a selective laser sintering apparatus;
a selective laser melting apparatus;
a laser engineered net shaping apparatus;
an electron beam melting apparatus; and
a direct metal deposition apparatus.
13. A method for building an object by additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
providing a first layer of raw materials to a first build location disposed along a first build plane;
generating an energy beam at a location spaced apart from the first build plane;
directing the energy beam along a first beam path in the first build plane, the first beam path including a first surface contour vector, a plurality of substantially parallel first hatch vectors disposed inward of the first surface contour vector, and a first offset contour vector, the offset contour vector including a first plurality of unprocessed powder regions in the first build plane between the first surface contour vector and the plurality of first hatch vectors.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of substantially parallel first hatch vectors each include a plurality of rounded hatch vector ends disposed immediately inward of an inner edge of the first surface contour vector.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein a center line of the first offset contour vector overlaps the plurality of rounded hatch vector ends adjacent the plurality of first unprocessed powder regions.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein a combination of the first surface contour vector, the first offset contour vector, and the plurality of first hatch vectors define the first beam path covering the entirety of a portion of the first build plane bounded by the first surface contour vector.
17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first beam path has no more than two overlapping vectors at any point in the first build plane.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein a center line of the first offset contour vector follows an inner edge of the first surface contour vector.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first beam path also includes a plurality of rounded first transitional vectors connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of first hatch vectors.
20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
solidifying the first layer of raw materials subsequent to directing the energy beam along the first beam path to form a first component build layer.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
providing a second layer of raw materials to a second build location disposed along a second build plane parallel to the first build plane;
generating an energy beam at a location spaced apart from the second build plane; and
directing the energy beam along a second beam path in the second build plane, the second build plane including a second surface contour vector, a plurality of substantially parallel second hatch vectors disposed inward of the second surface contour vector, and a second offset contour vector, the offset contour vector including a second plurality of unprocessed powder regions in the second build plane between the second surface contour vector and the plurality of second hatch vectors.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein a combination of the second surface contour vector, the second offset contour vector, and the plurality of second hatch vectors define the second beam path having no more than two overlapping vectors at any point in the second build plane.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the second build location includes at least a portion of the first component build layer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A linear rolling bearing comprising a guide carriage that can be mounted through rolling bearing rollers on a guide rail, said guide carriage comprising at least one endless roller channel for the rollers, said roller channel comprising a load-bearing channel for load-bearing rollers, a return channel for returning rollers and two deflecting channels that connect the load-bearing channel and the return channel to each other, said guide carriage further comprising a carrier body in which said return channel and said load-bearing channel are arranged, and, on two front ends of the carrier body, end members in which said deflecting channels are arranged, said return channel comprising a return tube, said roller channel comprising raceways for the rollers and side surfaces for laterally delimiting the roller channel, and each end member comprising between opposing end-member surfaces, a concave outer raceway of one of the deflecting channels, wherein the return tube comprises tongues that engage into the end member, opposing tongue surfaces of the tongues form, together with the opposing end-member surfaces of the end member, the side surfaces for laterally delimiting the deflecting channel, and a positioning device assures that the opposing tongue surfaces of the tongues are retained in a common plane with the opposing end-member surfaces of the end member.
2. A linear rolling bearing of claim 1, wherein the positioning device comprises:
support sections that are arranged on oppositely oriented tongue sides of the tongues,
positioning sections that are arranged on opposing tongue sides,
stop sections that are disposed on the end member, said positioning sections of the tongues abutting against the stop sections of the end member, and
bearing sections that are disposed on the end member, said support sections of the tongues being supported on the bearing sections of the end member.
3. A linear rolling bearing of claim 2, wherein the stop sections and the bearing sections are arranged on side parts of the end member that comprise the end-member surfaces.
4. A linear rolling bearing of claim 3, wherein a distance between the positioning sections and the opposing tongue surfaces of each tongue, and a distance between the stop sections and the opposing end-member surfaces of the side parts are matched so that the opposing end-member surfaces and the opposing tongue surfaces are situated in a common plane.
5. A linear rolling bearing of claim 2, wherein an elastically or plastically deformable means is arranged between the bearing section of the end member and the support sections of the tongues, and an abutment of the positioning sections of the tongues against the stop sections of the end member is achieved through a deformation of said deformable means.
6. A linear rolling bearing of claim 5, wherein said means is configured in the form of squeezable ribs.
7. A linear rolling bearing of claim 6, wherein the squeezable ribs are formed integrally on the tongues.
8. A linear rolling bearing of claim 6, wherein the squeezable ribs are formed integrally on the end member.
9. A linear rolling bearing of claim 6, wherein the squeezable ribs are wedge-shaped.