Method of coating metallic powder particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11028476-B2
Application number	US-201715648776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A method and system for coating metallic powder particles is provided. The method includes: disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within a fluidizing reactor; removing moisture adhered to the powder particles disposed within the reactor using a working gas; coating the powder particles disposed within the reactor using a precursor gas; and purging the precursor gas from the reactor using the working gas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within an inner vessel of a fluidizing reactor, the inner vessel entirely disposed within an outer vessel of the fluidizing reactor between an inner axial end and an outer axial end of the outer vessel and a radially-extending sidewall of the outer vessel extending from the inner axial end to the outer axial end, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel; and
coating the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present within a precursor gas by directing the precursor gas through an annular region disposed between the inner vessel and the outer vessel and through the porous plate into the inner vessel;
wherein the coating includes coating the metallic powder particulates with the material in an amount such that the coated metallic powder particulates have a level of reflectivity that is acceptable for subsequent processing of the coated metallic powder particulates within an additive manufacturing process.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
removing moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel using a working gas.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the coating occurs subsequent to said removing of moisture.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the removing moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the reactor using working gas includes heating the working gas to a predetermined temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
purging the precursor gas from the reactor using a working gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder particulates are aluminum alloy.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the precursor gas comprises silicon.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the precursor gas is selected from the group consisting of silane (SiH 4 ), disilane (Si 2 H 6 ), chlorosilane (H 3 ClSi), or dichlorosilane (SiH 2 Cl 2 ).

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating a working gas and subsequently directing the heated working gas into the inner vessel for heating the metallic powder particulates.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of heating the working gas includes heating the working gas with a heat source disposed within the outer vessel.

11. A method comprising:
providing a system having a fluidizing reactor comprising an outer vessel and an inner vessel entirely disposed within the outer vessel, a precursor gas source, and a processor adapted to execute instructions to control and monitor operation of the system, wherein the processor is in communication with a memory operable to store the executable instructions, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel;
disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within the inner vessel; and
controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present in a precursor gas provided from the precursor gas source by directing the precursor gas through an annular region disposed between the inner vessel and the outer vessel and through the porous plate into the inner vessel;
wherein the controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates includes coating the metallic powder particulates with the material in an amount such that the coated metallic powder particulates have a level of reflectivity that is acceptable for subsequent processing of the coated metallic powder particulates within an additive manufacturing process.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing the system to have a working gas source; and
controlling the system to remove moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the reactor using a working gas provided from the working gas source.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates subsequent to removing the moisture.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the working gas is at least one of an inert gas or a reducing gas.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
controlling the system to purge the precursor gas from the reactor using a working gas.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metallic powder particulates are aluminum alloy.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the precursor gas comprises silicon.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the precursor gas is selected from the group consisting of silane (SiH 4 ), disilane (Si 2 H 6 ), chlorosilane (H 3 ClSi), or dichlorosilane (SiH 2 Cl 2 ).

19. A method comprising:
providing a fluidizing reactor comprising an outer vessel and an inner vessel entirely disposed within the outer vessel, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel;
disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within the inner vessel;
heating a working gas with a heat source disposed within the outer vessel and subsequently directing the heated working gas into the inner vessel for heating the metallic powder particulates; and
coating the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present within a precursor gas;
wherein the working gas and the precursor gas enter the outer vessel via an inlet, pass between the inner vessel and the outer vessel in an annular region defined between the inner vessel and the outer vessel, and enter the inner vessel via the porous plate.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising cooling the coated metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with the working gas.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp
• Raytheon Tech Corp

Inventors

• She Ying
• Beals James T

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

• B22F12/10

  Auxiliary heating means · CPC title

• B22F10/34

  of powder characteristics, e.g. density, oxidation or flowability · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title