Additive manufacturing an object from material with a selective diffusion barrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10913129-B2
Application number	US-201515111389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A manufacturing process is provided in which material is supported within a chamber. This material includes a plurality of discrete metal particles and ceramic disposed between at least some of the metal particles. At least a portion of the material is solidified together using an additive manufacturing system to form an object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing process, comprising:
supporting material within a chamber, the material including a plurality of discrete metal particles and ceramic disposed between at least some of the metal particles, wherein a first of the metal particles is completely encased by a coating of the ceramic; and
solidifying at least a portion of the material together using a laser beam or an electron beam generated by an additive manufacturing system to form an object;
wherein a mass fraction of the ceramic within the material is equal to or less than one percent;
wherein the material is supported by a support surface within the chamber; and
wherein the solidifying comprises scanning the laser beam or the electron beam over a select portion of the material that is support by the support surface to melt the select portion of the material such that the select portion of the material fuses toqether and thereafter solidifies to form the object.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic inhibits the metal particles from sintering together.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising directing a material particle into the chamber, wherein the material particle includes the first of the metal particles that is completely encased by the coating of the ceramic.

4. The process of claim 1 , further comprising completely encasing the first of the metal particles with the coating of the ceramic within the chamber.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein a melting point of the ceramic is higher than a melting point of the metal particles.

6. A manufacturing process, comprising:
providing material that consists of a plurality of particles and a substance at least partially separating at least some of the particles, wherein the substance comprises non-metal, and a first of the particles is completely encased by a coating of the non-metal; and
fusing a select portion of the material together to form an object by scanning an energy beam generated by an additive manufacturing system over the select portion of the material to melt the select portion of the material while leaving another portion of the material, which is adjacent to the select portion of the material, as discrete particles; wherein a melting point of the substance is higher than a melting point of the particles; and
wherein the mass fraction of the substance within the material is less than one percent.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the first of the particles comprises metal.

8. The process of claim 6 , wherein the non-metal comprises ceramic.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the material is solidified together by scanning the laser beam over the at least a portion of the material.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the material is solidified together by scanning the electron beam over the at least a portion of the material.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the object consists of the material.

12. The process of claim 6 , wherein the energy beam comprises a laser beam.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• Nardi Aaron T
• Dardas Zissis

Classifications

• B22F1/16

  Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10) · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B22F12/55

  Two or more means for feeding material · CPC title

• B22F12/50

  Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads · CPC title

• B22F10/50

  Treatment of workpieces or articles during build-up, e.g. treatments applied to fused layers during build-up · CPC title