Sinterable article with removable support structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10350682-B2
Application number	US-201715469432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2017
Priority date	Apr 14, 2016
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

Support structures are used in certain additive fabrication processes to permit fabrication of a greater range of object geometries. For additive fabrication processes with materials that are subsequently sintered into a final part, an interface layer is fabricated between the object and support in order to inhibit bonding between adjacent surfaces of the support structure and the object during sintering. Interface layers suitable for manufacture with an additive manufacturing system may resist the formation of bonds between a support structure and an object during subsequent sintering processes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article comprising:
an object formed of a build material including a binder system and a sinterable powdered material;
a support structure for the object, the support structure formed of a support material having a debind and sintering shrinkage rate matched to the build material; and
an interface layer formed between a surface of the object and an adjacent surface of the support structure, wherein the interface layer resists bonding of the support structure to the object during a thermal sintering cycle at a sintering temperature for the sinterable powdered material, and wherein the interface layer includes ceramic particles having a mean particle size greater than a second mean particle size of the sinterable powdered material.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the sinterable powdered material includes a metallic powder.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein the sinterable powdered material has a mean particle size greater than about thirty-five microns.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the interface layer includes a thermoplastic binder to retain a position of the ceramic particles within the article.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein the ceramic particles have a mean particle size of about five to forty microns.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein the support structure includes a non-planar support surface having varying z-axis heights below a bottom surface of the object in a manufacturing coordinate system for planar fabrication of the article.

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Myerberg Jonah Samuel
• Gibson Michael Andrew
• Fulop Ricardo
• Verminski Matthew David
• Fontana Richard Remo
• Schuh Christopher Allan
• Chiang Yet-Ming
• Hart Anastasios John

Classifications

• B22F10/12

  by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] · CPC title

• B22F10/64

  by thermal means (control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364) · CPC title

• B22F10/62

  by chemical means · CPC title

• B22F10/40

  Structures for supporting workpieces or articles during manufacture and removed afterwards · CPC title

• B22F10/368

  Temperature or temperature gradient, e.g. temperature of the melt pool · CPC title