Three-dimensional metal printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10090072-B2
Application number	US-201514588641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 27, 2010
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

One or more metal printing techniques are described for generating a three-dimensional metal structure, such as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional anti-scatter grid. The techniques comprise applying a thin layer of powdered metal onto a printing area and using a binder (which is printed onto the printing area according to a specified pattern) to bind the powdered metal particles together. The acts of applying powdered metal and a binder may be repeated a plurality of times until a three-dimensional metal structure having a specified height is created. Moreover, in one embodiment, once the layering is complete, another binder is applied to the one or more layers to provide strength and/or support. While heat may be used in some embodiments to activate one or more of the applied binders the three-dimensional metal structure is generally not heated to a melting point of the powdered metal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for three-dimensional metal printing of an anti-scatter device configured to attenuate ionizing radiation, comprising:
creating a first layer of the anti-scatter device, comprising:
applying a first binder onto a printing area according to a first pattern; and
applying a first layer of powdered metal onto the printing area, wherein particles of the first layer of powdered metal are bound by the first binder;

creating a second layer of the anti-scatter device, comprising:
applying a second binder onto the printing area according to a second pattern; and
applying a second layer of powdered metal onto the printing area, wherein particles of the second layer of powdered metal are bound by the second binder; and

infiltrating the first layer of the anti-scatter device and the second layer of the anti-scatter device using a third binder, wherein the third binder displaces at least some of the first binder or the second binder.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of powdered metal comprises a first metal and the second layer of powdered metal comprises a second metal different than the first metal.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising thermally activating the third binder to bind the first layer to the second layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first binder is different than the second binder.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising applying an ultraviolet light to the third binder to activate the third binder after the third binder has infiltrated the first layer of the anti-scatter device and the second layer of the anti-scatter device.

6. A method for three-dimensional metal printing, comprising:
printing a first pattern onto a printing area by applying a first binder to the printing area;
applying a first layer of powdered metal onto the printing area before or during or after the first binder is applied, the first binder configured to bind particles of the first layer of powdered metal;
printing a second pattern on the printing area by applying a second binder to the printing area;
applying a second layer of powdered metal onto the printing area before or during or after the second binder is applied, the second layer of powdered metal imposed adjacent the first layer of powdered metal, the second binder configured to bind particles of the second layer of powdered metal;
infiltrating the first layer of powdered metal and the second layer of powdered metal using a third binder to yield a three-dimensional metal structure; and
applying an ultraviolet light to the third binder to activate the third binder after the third binder has infiltrated the first layer of powdered metal and the second layer of powdered metal.

7. The method of claim 6 , comprising generating the first pattern and the second pattern by decomposing a three-dimensional model of the three-dimensional metal structure to identify at least two slices, where a first slice of the at least two slices corresponds to the first pattern and a second slice of the at least two slices corresponds to the second pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first slice and the second slice each have a thickness of between about 20 microns to about 100 microns.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first layer of powdered metal comprises one of tungsten powder or molybdenum powder and the second layer of powdered metal comprises the other of tungsten powder or molybdenum powder.

10. The method of claim 6 , comprising, before infiltrating the first layer of powdered metal and the second layer of powdered metal using the third binder, submersing the first layer of powdered metal, having the particles bound by the first binder, in a fluid.

11. The method of claim 6 , comprising, before infiltrating the first layer of powdered metal and the second layer of powdered metal using the third binder:
displacing powdered metal of the first layer of powdered metal that is not bound by the first binder; and
displacing powdered metal of the second layer of powdered metal that is not bound by the second binder.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein infiltrating the first layer of powdered metal and the second layer of powdered metal using a third binder comprises:
submersing the first layer of powdered metal, having the particles bound by the first binder, and the second layer of powdered metal, having the particles bound by the second binder, in the third binder.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first layer of powdered metal comprises a first metal and the second layer of powdered metal comprises a second metal different than the first metal.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein the three-dimensional metal structure is an anti-scatter device configured to attenuate radiation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the anti-scatter device is an anti-scatter grid positioned between an object under examination and a detector array configured to detect radiation.

16. A method for generating a three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus of a radiographic examination apparatus, comprising:
creating a first layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus using a radiation attenuating, powdered metal and a first binder;
creating a second layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus using the radiation attenuating, powdered metal and a second binder; and
applying a third binder configured to bind the first layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus to the second layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus to generate the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus, wherein the third binder displaces at least some of the first binder or the second binder.

17. The method of claim 16 ,
wherein creating the first layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus comprises:
applying a first layer of the radiation attenuating, powdered metal to a printing area, and
printing the first binder according to a specified print pattern for the first layer to bind the powdered metal comprised in the first layer; and

wherein creating the second layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus comprises:
applying a second layer of the radiation attenuating, powdered metal on the printing area, the second layer applied adjacent to the first layer, and
printing the second binder according to a specified print pattern for the second layer to bind the powdered metal comprised in the second layer.

18. The method of claim 16 , comprising activating the third binder to bind the first layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus to the second layer of the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein activating the third binder comprises heating the third binder to a temperature below a melting point of the radiation attenuating, powdered metal.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the three-dimensional anti-scatter apparatus is a two-dimensional anti-scatter grid positioned between an object under examination and a detector array configured to detect radiation.

Assignees

• Analogic Corp

Inventors

• Deych Ruvin
• Abenaim Daniel

Classifications

• B41M3/00

  Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns ({printing apparatus or machines of special type or for particular purposes B41F17/00;} special designs or pictures per se B44F; manufacturing printed circuits using printing techniques H05K3/12 {; manufacturing organic semiconductor devices using printing techniques H10K71/13}) · CPC title

• B29L2031/737

  Articles provided with holes, e.g. grids, sieves (nets B29L2028/00) · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29L2031/34

  Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof · CPC title

• B29L2011/00

  Optical elements, e.g. lenses, prisms · CPC title