Setter assembly for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11000900-B2
Application number	US-202016891294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2020
Priority date	Jun 6, 2018
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

A method includes assembling a setter assembly onto a binder-jet printed part, wherein the setter assembly includes a base, a top setter, a bottom setter positioned between the base and the top setter, and a support pin extending between the base and the top setter having a terminus that abuts an inward facing surface of the top setter, such that at least portion of the binder-jet printed part is nested between the top setter and the bottom setter. The method includes heating the binder-jet printed part and the setter assembly to debind or sinter the binder-jet printed part, wherein a length of the support pin decreases in response to the heating to move the top setter toward the base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
assembling a setter assembly onto a binder-jet printed part, wherein the setter assembly comprises a base, a top setter, a bottom setter positioned between the base and the top setter, and a support pin extending between the base and the top setter having a terminus that abuts an inward facing surface of the top setter, and wherein at least portion of the binder-jet printed part is nested between the top setter and the bottom setter; and
heating the binder-jet printed part and the setter assembly to debind or sinter the binder-jet printed part, wherein a length of the support pin decreases in response to the heating to move the top setter toward the base.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating comprises heating the binder-jet printed part and the setter assembly above a first temperature to debind the binder-jet printed part.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein heating further comprises heating the binder-jet printed part and the setter assembly above a second temperature to sinter the binder-jet printed part.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the setter assembly is configured to support one or more regions of the binder-jet printed part to block distortion of the binder-jet printed part during heating.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising disassembling and removing the setter assembly to yield a thermally-processed, binder-jet printed part.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the setter assembly comprises a core, and wherein assembling the setter assembly comprises disposing the core into a hollow portion of the binder-jet printed part between the top setter and the bottom setter.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hollow portion of the binder-jet printed part comprises an airfoil.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the bottom setter comprises an opening, and wherein assembling the setter assembly comprises disposing at least a portion of the core into the opening of the bottom setter.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base of the setter assembly comprises a plurality of protrusions disposed on and extending away from a surface of the base, wherein each of the plurality of protrusions is configured to align the base with the top setter and enable coupling of the top setter and the base.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of protrusions is arranged along a portion of an outer perimeter of the base.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of protrusions comprise a support pin protrusion, and wherein assembling the setter assembly comprises disposing the support pin in the support pin protrusion such that the terminus of the support pin abuts the inward facing surface of the top setter.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of protrusions comprise an alignment pin protrusion, and wherein assembling the setter assembly comprises disposing an alignment pin in the alignment pin protrusion of the base such that the alignment pin extends through an alignment pin opening of the top setter.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the alignment pin protrusion extends a greater length from the surface of the base than the support pin protrusion.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein an outward facing surface of the top setter and the bottom setter each comprise a respective curvature that corresponds to a shape of a respective portion of the binder-jet printed part.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the top setter or the bottom setter is a multi-piece setter.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the top setter or the bottom setter is a unitary setter.

17. The method of claim 1 , comprising fabricating the binder-j et printed part by:
depositing a layer of a powder on a working surface of a binder-jet printer;
selectively printing a binder solution comprising a binder into the layer of the powder in a pattern to generate a printed layer; and
curing the binder in the printed layer to generate a layer of the binder-jet printed part, wherein the binder-jet printed part is formed from a plurality of printed layers.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the setter assembly comprises a second support pin extending between the base and the top setter and having a second terminus that abuts the inward facing surface of the top setter.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Barua Ananda
• Raghavan Sathyanarayanan
• Salas Nobrega Ken
• Bromberg Vadim
• Natarajan Arunkumar

Classifications

• B29C64/379 Primary

  Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots · CPC title

• B22F10/64

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

• B22F10/47

  characterised by structural features · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F10/14

  by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder · CPC title