Method and system for additive manufacturing using high energy source and hot-wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10046419-B2
Application number	US-201514665823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2015
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A method and system to manufacture workpieces employing a high intensity energy source to create a puddle and at least one resistively heated wire which is heated to at or near its melting temperature and deposited into the puddle as droplets.

First claim

We claim:

1. An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
a high energy device which irradiates a surface of a work piece with a high energy discharge to create a molten puddle on a surface of said work piece; and
a power supply which supplies a heating signal to a consumable wire where said heating signal comprises a plurality of current pulses and where each of said current pulses creates a molten droplet on a distal end of said consumable which is deposited into said puddle;
wherein each of said current pulses reaches a peak current level after said distal end of said consumable contacts said puddle,
wherein said heating signal has no current in between said plurality of said current pulses;
wherein said distal end of said consumable is not in contact with said puddle between subsequent peak current levels of said current pulses;
wherein said power supply controls said heating current such that no arc is created between said wire and said work piece during said current pulses; and
wherein said consumable has each of a sheath portion and a core portion, where said sheath portion has a melting temperature less than a melting temperature of said core portion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said core portion is a solid core.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said core portion comprises a plurality of wires, and at least some of said plurality of wires have a melting temperature higher than that of said sheath.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said core comprises a plurality of individual wires and a first number of said wires has a melting temperature higher than said melting temperature of said sheath and a second number of said wires has a melting temperature lower than said sheath.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said core comprises a flux.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said melting temperature of said core is such that at least some of said core does not melt during deposition of said consumable.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said melting temperature of said sheath is in the range of 5 to 45% lower than said melting temperature of said core.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said melting temperature of said sheath is in the range of 10 to 35% lower than said melting temperature of said core.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein said consumable does not have a circular cross-section.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sheath does not extend around the entire perimeter of said core.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said consumable is asymmetric.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sheath comprises a flux.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein said sheath has at least a first layer and a second layer, where said first layer is directly adjacent to said core, and said first layer has a different chemistry than said second layer.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said second layer comprises tungsten carbide.

15. An additive manufacturing consumable, comprising:
a sheath portion; and
a core portion which is at least partially covered by said sheath portion,
wherein said sheath portion has a melting temperature less than a melting temperature of said core portion.

16. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein one of said sheath portion and said core portion comprise a flux.

17. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said consumable is asymmetric.

18. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said sheath portion does not extend around the entire perimeter of said core portion.

19. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said melting temperature of said sheath portion is in the range of 5 to 45% lower than said melting temperature of said core portion.

20. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said melting temperature of said sheath portion is in the range of 10 to 35% lower than said melting temperature of said core portion.

21. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said core portion comprises a plurality of wires, and at least some of said plurality of wires have a melting temperature higher than that of said sheath portion.

22. The consumable of claim 15 , wherein said sheath portion has at least a first layer and a second layer, where said first layer is directly adjacent to said core portion, and said first layer has a different chemistry than said second layer.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein said second layer comprises tungsten carbide.

Assignees

• Lincoln Global Inc

Inventors

• Denney Paul E
• Peters Steven R
• Narayanan Badri
• Damato Dionysus
• Whitehead Michael

Classifications

• B23K2103/50

  Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials · CPC title

• B23K9/124

  Circuits or methods for feeding welding wire · CPC title

• B23K26/1423

  the flow carrying an electric current · CPC title

• B23K26/211

  with interposition of special material to facilitate connection of the parts · CPC title

• B23K2103/20

  Ferrous alloys and aluminium or alloys thereof · CPC title