DE102020107800A1 - MANUFACTURING DEVICE FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF AN OBJECT AND METHOD FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF AN OBJECT - Google Patents

Abstract

A manufacturing device (10) for the additive manufacturing of an object from a starting material is shown, the manufacturing device (10) having a plurality (20) of light sources (25) for each emitting a light beam (30), a control device (15) for switching on individually and switching off the light sources (25), an amplifier medium for amplifying the light beams (30) of the light sources (25) for generating laser beams (90), the amplifier medium being pumpable by a pump source (80, 81), and a movement device for moving the Laser beams (90) over the starting material for sintering and / or melting the starting material, wherein the plurality (20) of light sources (25) are arranged in a regular pattern, in particular in rows and columns.

Description

The invention relates to a manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of an object and a method for additive manufacturing of an object.

State of the art

For high-speed 3D printing, a high-energy multifocus laser device is required that radiates a bundle of more than a hundred laser beams with a power of up to 500 W per beam or up to 1000 W per beam onto the source material in a close-meshed grid. Laser radiation is necessary because of the necessary coherence so that the individual laser beams can be focused on a diffraction-limited spot with a diameter ∼λ / (numerical aperture). The laser beams must be able to be switched on and off individually or individually. This means that a simple fan-out of a high-energy laser beam is ruled out, since the individual beams cannot be addressed or switched individually or individually.

A VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) is a laser diode in which the light is emitted perpendicular to the plane of the semiconductor chip. The VCSEL is a surface-emitting laser diode with a vertical resonator. However, the use of a plurality of VCSELs for irradiating laser beams onto a starting material for the additive manufacturing of an object according to the prior art has the disadvantage that a VCSEL only has a power in the range from a few milliwatts to a few dozen milliwatts. This is not sufficient for laser sintering or laser melting of a starting material.

An alternative is a laser diode stack comprising a stack of laser diode bars, each laser diode bar in turn consisting of a linear array of edge-emitting laser diodes. Each laser diode has a power of a few watts. The disadvantage here is that the 10-20 individual emitters of the laser diode bar emit a laser beam that typically has a radiation angle of approx. 40 ° in one direction (so-called fast axis) and a radiation angle of approx. 12 ° in the other direction (slow axis) . This elliptical radiation characteristic is typical for edge emitters and has to be corrected by astigmatic micro-optics. When using a laser diode stack, the micro-optics are technically very complex. In addition, the laser diode stack with the micro-optics is very expensive, so that a manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of an object is very expensive.

Disclosure of the invention

The invention is based on the object of providing a manufacturing device for the additive manufacturing of an object from a starting material by means of laser sintering and / or laser melting or a method for the additive manufacturing of an object from a starting material by means of laser sintering and / or laser melting, which is technically simple is and is inexpensive.

This object is achieved by a manufacturing device according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 14.

In particular, the object is achieved by a manufacturing device for additive manufacturing of an object from a starting material, the manufacturing device generating a plurality of light sources for each emitting a light beam, a control device for individually switching the light sources on and off, and an amplifier medium for amplifying the light beams of the light sources of laser beams, wherein the amplifier medium can be pumped by a pump source, and comprises a movement device for moving the laser beams over the starting material for sintering and / or melting the starting material.

The laser radiation differs from the light rays in that it can be bundled and focused well thanks to its high temporal and spatial coherence.

One advantage of this is that the manufacturing device is designed to be technically simple. In particular, no complex micro-optics are required for diverting or collecting the light beams from the light sources from the amplification. In addition, the manufacturing device can be manufactured inexpensively, in particular since the light sources can be very inexpensive. In addition, the production device can produce very finely structured objects, since the laser beams can be switched on and off individually. In addition, the additive manufacturing of the object can be carried out very quickly or at high speed by means of the manufacturing device. This means that very high build-up rates can be achieved. The amplifier medium is usually not identical to or part of the light source, but rather the amplifier medium is typically arranged at a distance from the light source.

In particular, the object is achieved by a method for the additive manufacture of an object from a starting material by means of laser sintering and / or laser melting, the method comprising the following steps: generating a plurality of light beams by means of a plurality of light sources for emitting one light beam each, wherein the light sources can be switched on and off individually by means of a control device; Pumping an amplifier medium for amplifying the light beams of the light sources, wherein the amplifier medium is pumped by means of a pump beam of a pump source; Amplifying the light beams by means of the amplifying medium to generate laser beams; and irradiating the amplified laser beams onto the starting material for laser sintering and / or laser melting the starting material.

The advantage of this method is that the method can be carried out in a technically simple manner or can be carried out with a technically simple production device. In particular, no complex micro-optics are required for diverting or collecting the light beams from the light sources from the amplification. In addition, the method can be carried out with a manufacturing device that can be manufactured inexpensively, in particular since the light sources can be very inexpensive. Using the method, very finely structured objects can be created, since the laser beams are switched on and off individually. The object can also be additively manufactured very quickly or at high speed by means of the method. This means that very high build-up rates can be achieved. The amplifier medium is usually not identical to or part of the light source, but rather the amplifier medium is typically arranged at a distance from the light source.

According to one embodiment of the production device, the multiplicity of light sources are arranged in a regular pattern, in particular in rows and columns. The advantage here is that the starting material can be processed particularly uniformly.

According to one embodiment of the production device, the light sources comprise light-emitting diodes. The advantage here is that the light-emitting diodes are particularly inexpensive and have a long service life. In particular, the light-emitting diodes cannot be laser light-emitting diodes.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the light sources comprise surface emitting laser diodes (VCSEL). One advantage of this is that the proportion of the light from the light source that is amplified by the amplifying medium to form an amplified laser beam is very high. In addition, the light from the light source is already coherent. Thus, the light only needs to be amplified moderately by the amplifying medium.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the amplifier medium comprises a plate shared by the light beams. The advantage of this is that the manufacturing device has a particularly simple technical structure.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the amplifier medium comprises a plurality of reinforcement elements spaced apart from one another along the beam direction of the light beams of the light sources. The advantage of this is that the amplifier medium and thus the manufacturing device are designed to be particularly simple from a technical point of view. The advantage here is that the amplifier medium can be cooled particularly efficiently. This increases the service life of the manufacturing device.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, at least some of the reinforcing elements have doping densities that differ from one another. One advantage of this is that the light from the light sources is amplified in several stages. The doping density can thus be adapted to the respective degree of reinforcement of the respective reinforcement element. The efficiency of the amplification can thus be particularly high.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the amplifier medium comprises a multiplicity of reinforcement elements, the reinforcement elements each being designed to amplify an individual light beam from a light source. The advantage here is that the occurrence of an inhomogeneous temperature distribution in the amplifier medium due to the different switching on and off of the individual light sources, which can occur with a common amplifier medium for the light beams and can negatively influence the quality of the laser beams, is reliably avoided.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the manufacturing device is designed in such a way that the reinforcing elements can each be pumped with a single pump beam, in particular optically. The advantage here is that no common pump source is required. In this way, the individual reinforcement elements can be pumped particularly effectively from a technical point of view.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the manufacturing device comprises a cooling device for cooling the amplifier medium by means of a fluid. In this way, the amplifier medium can be cooled in a technically simple manner. In this way, excessive heating of the amplifier medium is reliably prevented even when the production device is operated for a longer period of time. This increases the life of the amplifier medium.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, the amplifier medium comprises a crystal with neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) and / or a crystal with ytterbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG). The advantage here is that the light sources can be amplified particularly effectively to form laser beams. In addition, the amplifier medium is inexpensive.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, a surface of the amplifier medium through which the light beams enter or exit the amplifier medium is not arranged perpendicular to the direction of the light beams. One advantage of this is that undesirable reflections of the light rays can be avoided in a technically simple manner.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, a surface of the amplifier medium through which the light rays enter or exit the amplifier medium is coated with an anti-reflection layer. One advantage of this is that undesirable reflections of the light rays can be avoided in a technically simple manner.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing device, optical elements for collimating and / or expanding the respective light beam are arranged between the light sources and the amplifier medium. In this way, too great a spatial intensity density in the amplifier medium is reliably avoided. This increases the life of the amplifier medium. In addition, the light beams are simply aligned in a technically simple manner.

According to one embodiment of the method, the amplified laser beams are radiated onto the starting material in a regular pattern, in particular in rows and columns. This process enables the raw material to be processed particularly evenly.

According to one embodiment of the method, the light sources comprise light-emitting diodes. One advantage of this is that the method can be carried out by means of a particularly cost-effective manufacturing device, since the light-emitting diodes are particularly cost-effective and have a long service life. In particular, the light-emitting diodes cannot be laser light-emitting diodes.

According to one embodiment of the method, the light sources comprise surface emitting laser diodes (VCSEL). The advantage of this is that in this method the proportion of the light from the light source that is amplified by the amplifying medium to form an amplified laser beam is very high. In addition, with this method the light from the light source is already coherent. As a result, the light only needs to be moderately amplified by the amplifying medium.

According to one embodiment of the method, the light beams are collimated and / or expanded by means of optical elements arranged between the light sources and the amplifier medium. The advantage here is that an excessive spatial intensity density in the amplifier medium is reliably avoided. This increases the service life of the amplifier medium. In addition, the light beams are simply aligned in a technically simple manner.

According to one embodiment of the method, after passing through the amplifier medium, the amplified laser beams are radiated onto a second amplifier medium in order to amplify the laser beams again. One advantage of this is that the amplifier medium is cooled particularly efficiently. This increases the service life of the manufacturing device when this method is carried out.

In other words, the invention is based on the idea of amplifying the light from a large number of individually switchable, inexpensive light sources into laser beams by means of at least one reinforcement element and of laser-sintering (selective laser sintering, SLS) and / or laser melting the starting material with the laser beams (selective laser melting, SLM) and additively to manufacture an object in this way. The laser beams can typically have a predetermined fixed distance from one another on the starting material, i.e. the position of the laser beams relative to one another cannot usually be changed. The manufacturing device can be a so-called multi-focus manufacturing device.

The multiplicity of light sources can be 100, 1000, 2000, 5000 or 10,000, for example.

The regular pattern according to which the light sources or the laser beams can be arranged can include a type of matrix with rows and columns running perpendicular to the rows (a checkerboard pattern, so to speak, with a light source or a laser beam arranged in the middle of each square) or a circular area with several concentric circles, the light sources being arranged on the circles and the circles being arranged equidistant from one another, or a spiral arrangement, for example in the form of a Cornu spiral or clothoid. However, it is also conceivable that the light sources or laser beams are arranged irregularly.

• 1 eine schematische Darstellung einer ersten Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Fertigungsvorrichtung;
• 2 eine Detailansicht des Verstärkermediums der Fertigungsvorrichtung aus 1;
• 3 eine Detailansicht einer weiteren Ausführungsform des Verstärkermediums einer erfindungsgemäßen Fertigungsvorrichtung;
• 4 eine schematische Darstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Fertigungsvorrichtung;
• 5 eine schematische Darstellung einer dritten Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Fertigungsvorrichtung;
• 6 eine Detailansicht des Verstärkermediums der Fertigungsvorrichtung aus 5; und
• 7 eine Seitenansicht einer weiteren Ausführungsform des Verstärkermediums einer erfindungsgemäßen Fertigungsvorrichtung.

Preferred embodiments emerge from the subclaims. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings of exemplary embodiments. Show here

• 1 a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention;
• 2 a detailed view of the amplifier medium of the manufacturing device 1 ;
• 3 a detailed view of a further embodiment of the amplifier medium of a manufacturing device according to the invention;
• 4th a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention;
• 5 a schematic representation of a third embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention;
• 6th a detailed view of the amplifier medium of the manufacturing device 5 ; and
• 7th a side view of a further embodiment of the amplifier medium of a manufacturing device according to the invention.

In the following description, the same reference numbers are used for parts that are the same and have the same effect.

1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention 10 .

The three points or circles arranged one above the other in the vertical direction in the drawings are intended to indicate that there is a large number of further elements of the same type, not shown, such as the elements shown above the points or circles. For example, in 1 only four light sources 25th shown. The dots or circles indicate that a large number 20th of light sources 25th is also present, which are not shown. The large number of non-illustrated elements can not only be present in the plane of the drawing, but further elements of the same type can also be present in front of and / or behind the plane of the drawing.

The manufacturing device 10 is designed for laser sintering and / or laser melting of a starting material for additive manufacturing of an object. The manufacturing device 10 can therefore be a so-called 3D printer. The starting material can in particular comprise or be a metal and / or a metal alloy.

The manufacturing device 10 includes a variety 20th of light sources 25th . The number of light sources 25th can be, for example, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, 10,000, or 15,000. A larger number of light sources 25th is imaginable. The light sources 25th each give a ray of light 30th away.

The light sources 25th can be arranged in an array or a field or in a matrix-like manner. This means that the light sources 25th are arranged uniformly or regularly two-dimensionally. It is conceivable, for example, that the light sources 25th are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix-like manner in each case equidistant from one another in the vertical and horizontal directions. This results in the laser beams 90 going through the manufacturing fixture 10 can be radiated onto the starting material, a type of matrix or a type of grid. With 10,000 light sources 25th For example, the matrix can have the dimension 100 * 100.

However, it is also conceivable that the light sources are arranged irregularly or chaotically.

The light sources 25th can be individually controlled or switched on and off by a control unit. This means that the control device 15th the currently or currently required light sources 25th switches on and the light sources that are currently or not currently required 25th turns off. This can take place at a high frequency, for example 10 MHz, 20 MHz or 30 MHz. The control unit can do this via control lines 17th with the light sources 25th be connected.

The light sources 25th can include or be light emitting diodes (LED). The light emitting diodes are typically not laser diodes. The light-emitting diodes usually have a spectral half-width (full width half maximum, FWHM) of at least 20 nm. The emission of the light-emitting diodes is usually incoherent and the emission characteristic is that of a Lambertian emitter. The power is typically around 200 mW to around 800 mW. Due to the radiation characteristics of the light-emitting diode, typically only 0.05% of the power of the light-emitting diode can be amplified in the amplifier medium.

Alternatively or additionally, the light sources 25th surface-emitting laser diodes with a vertical resonator (vertical cavity surface emitting laser, VCSEL) comprise or be. Surface-emitting laser diodes typically emit laser light with an area of approx. 5 µm to approx. 20 µm at a power of up to approx. 10 mW. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) is typically approx. 1 nm.

It is possible that some of the light sources 25th Light-emitting diodes comprise or are and a part of the light sources 25th surface-emitting laser diodes with a vertical resonator comprise or are.

The rays of light 30th of the light sources 25th are made by means of optical elements 40 , 45 collimated and expanded. The expansion leads to the light intensity density in the gain medium remains below a specified value. This prevents damage and / or excessive heating of the amplifier medium. The rays of light 30th can share a common optical element 45 use. It is also possible that several light sources 25th or light rays 30th an optical element 45 use together. It is also conceivable that all light sources 25th or light rays 30th an optical element 45 share. By collimating the light rays 30th or laser beams 90 aligned parallel to each other.

According to the optical elements 45 the light rays are used to collimate and / or expand 30th or the collimated and expanded input beams 50 amplified by means of an amplifier medium. The gain medium creates when the light rays 30th not already laser beams 90 are, from the rays of light 30th Laser beams 90 . At least part of the respective light beam 30th is amplified by the amplifying medium. The amplifier medium is or will be by means of a pump source 80 , 81 and a pump beam 85 , 86 , for example optically, pumped. This means that a population inversion is produced in the amplifier medium by optical excitation. The pump source 80 , 81 can comprise one or more laser diodes or be one or more laser diodes.

The amplifier medium emits a variety of amplified laser beams 90 starting from the rays of light 30th of the light sources 25th were generated. The gain medium can have a gain which is in the range of 2,000, 4,000 or in the range of four orders of magnitude or approximately 10,000. The power of the respective laser beam 90 output by the amplifier medium can be approx. 100 W, for example.

The amplifier medium can comprise or be a solid state amplifier. The solid-state amplifier can comprise or consist of a crystal with neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) (so-called Nd: YAG). It is possible that the amplifier medium comprises or consists of a crystal with ytterbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) (so-called Yb: YAG).

The doping density of the amplifier medium can be in the range of approx. 1%. In the case of Nd: YAG, the material thickness can be measured along the direction of the respective light beam 30th , 2.4 mm. In the case of Yb: YAG, the thickness can be approx. 30.3 mm. The amplifier medium can be an amplifier element 60-62 be in the form of a plate. The amplifier element 60-62 can of all rays of light 30th together or from a large part of the light rays 30th can be used together.

The amplifier element 60-62 are a variety of laser beams 90 away. From every switched on light source 25th becomes a laser beam, so to speak 90 generated. The laser beams 90 can be moved over the starting material by means of a movement device. The movement device can be an optical device comprising mirrors.

The laser beams 90 sinter and / or melt the starting material. Then another layer of starting material can be applied. This in turn is partially sintered and / or melted by the laser beams 90 . In this way, an object or an item, for example a holder, is additively manufactured or 3D printed in layers.

The laser beams 90 can be arranged in a matrix-like or grid-like manner, for example in rows and columns. The number of rows can correspond to the number of columns. It is also conceivable that the number of rows is larger or smaller than the number of columns. In each column there can be more than, the same number or fewer than similar elements as in the column.

2 shows a detailed view of the amplifier medium of the manufacturing device 10 the end 1 . The amplifier medium is created by the light rays 30th or heated by the reinforcement. In order to reduce or reduce a negative influence on the beam quality due to the heating, the production device 10 a cooling device 100 have for cooling the amplifier medium. Through the cooler 100 a spatially inhomogeneous temperature distribution is reduced or reduced. 2 Figure 3 shows a side view of the gain medium, ie the light rays 30th or laser beams 90 run essentially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing 2 .

The cooler 100 has two coolant inlets 105 , 106 and two coolant outlets 110 , 111 on. Through the coolant inlets 105 , 106 coolant flows into the cooling device 100 . Through the coolant outlets 110 , 111 coolant flows out of the cooling device 100 . The coolant can be in a cooling circuit outside the cooling device 100 be cooled down. The coolant is a fluid, ie a gas or a liquid. The liquid can comprise or be water. The coolant flows around the amplifier medium on four sides.

3 shows a detailed view of a further embodiment of the amplifier medium of a manufacturing device according to the invention 10 . In this embodiment, the amplifier medium does not consist of a plate, but of several amplifier elements 60-62 in the form of three plates. This allows the individual Amplifier elements 60-62 be cooled particularly efficiently. The plurality of plates can be arranged such that the light rays 30th in the plane of the 3 run or perpendicular to the plane of the drawing 3 get lost.

4th shows a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention 10 . The second embodiment of the manufacturing device 10 differs from the first embodiment in that the light rays 30th not in an amplifier element 60-62 are amplified in one step, but the rays of light 30th in two amplifier elements 60-62 , 70 be reinforced in two stages one after the other. This means that the rays of light 30th in the first amplifier element 60-62 in a first stage to slightly amplified light beams or slightly amplified laser beams 95 are amplified and the slightly amplified light rays or laser rays 95 then in the second amplifier element 70 be amplified again, so that the second amplifier element 70 a variety of amplified laser beams 90 emits or emits.

The amplifier elements 60-62 , 70 can have mutually different doping densities. The doping density can thus be adapted to the respective strength of the light beam 30th before the amplification or the respective amplification factor are adapted or be. As a result, the reinforcement can be carried out particularly efficiently.

Each of the two amplifier elements 60-62 , 70 has a pump beam 85 , 86 coming from a pumping source 80 , 81 on the respective amplifier element 60-62 , 70 is blasted.

The number of amplifier stages arranged one behind the other or connected in series can be more than two, e.g. three, four, five, six or more than six.

5 shows a schematic representation of a third embodiment of the manufacturing device according to the invention 10 . 6th shows a detailed view of the amplifier medium of the manufacturing device 10 the end 5 .

The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the light beams 30th do not use or use a common amplifier element as in the first embodiment, but each light beam in the third embodiment 30th or any light source 25th its own amplifier element 60-62 having. The amplifier elements 60-62 are arranged at a distance from one another. This makes the amplifier elements 60-62 optically and thermally decoupled from each other. The amplifier elements 60-62 can have the shape of a rod or a circular cylinder.

It is also conceivable that two, three or four light sources 25th each has an amplifier element 60-62 share. Thus, several light sources can be used 25th an amplifier element 60-62 share. In the third embodiment, however, not all light sources are usually shared 25th a common amplifier element 60-62 .

6th shows a side view of the amplification medium or the amplification medium, only a section being shown. The laser beams 90 run perpendicular to the plane of the drawing 6th . The amplifier elements 60-62 are arranged evenly or regularly in a kind of matrix or grid.

It is also conceivable that for every light source 25th several in the direction of the light rays 30th amplifier elements arranged one behind the other 60-62 are arranged, the amplifier elements 60-62 the respective light beam 30th reinforce in several stages, as related to the 4th is explained.

7th shows a side view of a further embodiment of the amplifier medium of a manufacturing device according to the invention 10 .

In the case of amplifier elements that are spatially spaced apart from one another 60-62 , in particular in the case of circular cylinder-shaped amplifier elements, it is possible that each amplifier element 60-62 its own pump beam 85 , 86 has or more than one pump beam 85 , 86 is available. The pump jet 85 , 86 typically does not run perpendicular to light rays 30th or laser beams 90 , but rather has an acute angle to it, for example 10 ° or 5 °. The pump jet 85 , 86 can be applied to the respective amplifier element from the side of the laser sources and / or from the opposite side 60-62 be directed.

To the respective amplifier element 60-62 a so-called pump guiding, which is designed to be reflective, can be arranged.

The area of the respective amplifier element 60-62 through which the rays of light 30th into the amplifier element 60-62 occur, can be tilted in such a way that no perpendicular angle between the respective light beam 30th and the area is available. The angle that is not equal to 90 ° can, for example, be in the range from approx. 87 ° to 93 °. This prevents unwanted reflections.

The laser beams can in particular be moved parallel to one another over the starting material.

List of reference symbols

10

Manufacturing device

15th

Control device

17th

Control line

20th

Variety of light sources

25th

Light source

30th

Beam of light

40

Variety of optical elements

45

optical element

50

Input beam

60-62

first amplifier element

65

Variety of first amplifier elements

70

second amplifier element

80, 81

Pump source

85, 86

Pump jet

90

amplified laser beam

95

slightly amplified laser beam

100

Cooling device

105, 106

Coolant inlet

110, 111

Coolant outlet

Claims (19)

Manufacturing device (10) for additive manufacturing of an object from a starting material, wherein the manufacturing device (10) a plurality (20) of light sources (25) for each emitting a light beam (30), a control device (15) for switching the light sources (25) on and off individually, an amplifier medium for amplifying the light beams (30) of the light sources (25) for generating laser beams (90), the amplifier medium being pumpable by a pump source (80, 81), and a moving device for moving the laser beams (90) over the starting material for sintering and / or melting the starting material. Manufacturing device (10) after Claim 1 wherein the plurality (20) of light sources (25) are arranged in a regular pattern, in particular in rows and columns. Manufacturing device (10) after Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the light sources (25) comprise light emitting diodes. Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light sources (25) comprise surface-emitting laser diodes (VCSEL). The manufacturing apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gain medium comprises a plate shared by the light beams (30). Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the amplifier medium comprises a plurality of reinforcement elements spaced apart from one another along the beam direction of the light beams (30) of the light sources (25). Manufacturing device (10) after Claim 6 , wherein at least some of the reinforcement elements have mutually different doping densities. Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the amplifying medium comprises a plurality of reinforcing elements, the reinforcing elements being designed to amplify a single light beam (30) from a light source (25). Manufacturing device (10) after Claim 8 , the manufacturing device (10) being designed in such a way that the reinforcing elements can each be pumped optically with a single pump beam (85, 86), in particular. Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the manufacturing device (10) comprises a cooling device (100) for cooling the amplifier medium by means of a fluid. Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the amplifier medium comprises a crystal with neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) and / or a crystal with ytterbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG). The manufacturing apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a surface of the gain medium through which the light beams (30) enter or exit the gain medium is not arranged perpendicular to the direction of the light beams (30). Manufacturing device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein optical elements (45) for collimating and / or expanding the respective light beam (30) are arranged between the light sources (25) and the amplifier medium. A method for the additive manufacture of an object from a starting material by means of laser sintering and / or laser melting, the method comprising the following steps: generating a multiplicity of light beams (30) by means of a multiplicity (20) of light sources (25) for each emitting a light beam (30) wherein the light sources (25) can be switched on and off individually by means of a control device; Pumping an amplifier medium for amplifying the light beams (30) of the light sources (25), the amplifier medium being pumped by means of a pump beam (85, 86) of a pump source (80, 81); Amplifying the light beams (30) by means of the amplifying medium to generate laser beams (90); and irradiating the amplified laser beams (90) onto the starting material for laser sintering and / or laser melting the starting material. Procedure according to Claim 14 wherein the amplified laser beams (90) are radiated onto the starting material in a regular pattern, in particular in rows and columns. Procedure according to Claim 14 or 15th , wherein the light sources (25) comprise light emitting diodes. Method according to one of the Claims 14 - 16 wherein the light sources (25) comprise surface emitting laser diodes (VCSEL). Method according to one of the Claims 14 - 17th wherein the light beams (30) are collimated and / or expanded by means of optical elements (45) arranged between the light sources (25) and the amplifier medium. Method according to one of the Claims 14 - 18th wherein the amplified laser beams (90), after passing through the amplifying medium, are radiated onto a second amplifying medium for amplifying the laser beams (90) again.

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