Metal powder, method of producing additively-manufactured article, and additively-manufactured article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11077495-B2
Application number	US-201715657348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2017
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A metal powder contains not less than 0.10 mass % and not more than 1.00 mass % of at least one of chromium and silicon, and a balance of copper. The total content of the chromium and the silicon is not more than 1.00 mass %. In accordance with an additive manufacturing method for this metal powder, an additively-manufactured article made from a copper alloy is provided. The additively-manufactured article has both an adequate mechanical strength and an adequate electrical conductivity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
preparing the copper alloy powder;
using the copper alloy powder solely in the form of a powder layer substantially made up of only the copper alloy powder as a raw material for an additively-manufactured article; and
melting and/or sintering the copper alloy powder by irradiating the copper alloy powder with at least one selected from the group consisting of a laser, an electron beam and plasma so that metal particles included in the copper alloy powder fuse directly to each other, wherein
the copper alloy powder consists of
not less than 0.10 mass % and not more than 1.00 mass % of at least one of chromium and silicon, a total content of the chromium and the silicon being not more than 1.00 mass %; and
a balance of copper,
an element besides the copper, the chromium, and the silicon being less than 0.10 mass %.

2. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises:
not less than 0.10 mass % and not more than 0.60 mass % of the chromium; and
a balance of the copper.

3. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises:
not less than 0.10 mass % and not more than 0.60 mass % of the silicon; and
a balance of the copper.

4. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 1 , wherein the copper alloy powder is prepared by an atomization method.

5. A method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
preparing the copper alloy powder;
using the copper alloy powder solely in the form of a powder layer substantially made up of only the copper alloy powder as a raw material for an additively-manufactured article; and
melting and/or sintering the copper alloy powder by irradiating the copper alloy powder with at least one selected from the group consisting of a laser, an electron beam and plasma so that metal particles included in the copper alloy powder fuse directly to each other, wherein
the copper alloy powder consists of
not less than 0.22 mass % and not more than 0.94 mass % of chromium,
not less than 98.0 mass % of copper; and
an impurity element,
the impurity element being an element besides the copper and the chromium,
the impurity element being less than 0.10 mass %.

6. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises more than 0.51 mass % and not more than 0.94 mass % of the chromium.

7. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises not less than 0.22 mass % and not more than 0.51 mass % of the chromium.

8. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises not less than 98.5 mass % of the copper.

9. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the copper alloy powder comprises not less than 99.0 mass % of the copper.

10. The method of using a copper alloy powder in additive manufacturing according to claim 5 , wherein the copper alloy powder is prepared by an atomization method.

Assignees

• Daihen Corp
• Tech Research Institute Of Osaka Prefecture
• Osaka Res Inst Ind Science & Tech

Inventors

• Tsubota Ryusuke
• Tanaka Junichi
• Oka Yohei
• Nakamoto Takayuki
• SUGAHARA Takahiro
• Takemura Mamoru
• Uchida Sohei

Classifications

• B22F1/00 Primary

  Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties · CPC title

• B22F1/05

  Metallic powder characterised by the size or surface area of the particles · CPC title

• B22F10/80

  Data acquisition or data processing · CPC title

• B22F10/64

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

• B22F10/32

  of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber · CPC title