Metal-connected particle articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11311942-B2
Application number	US-201615764871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for making metal-connected particle articles. A metal containing fluid is selectively applied to a layer of particles. The metal in the fluid is used to form metal connections between particles. The metal connections are formed at temperatures below the sintering temperature of the particles in the layer of particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a consolidated part comprising:
spreading a layer of particles;
selectively applying a fluid to a portion of the layer of particles, wherein the fluid comprises an ink vehicle and metal nanoparticles and wherein the fluid does not include a polymeric binder;
consolidating the metal nanoparticles in a reducing atmosphere to form metal connections between individual particles in the layer of the particles, where the fluid was applied to the particles to form a consolidated part and wherein no polymeric binder is applied to the particles; and
repeating the spreading of an additional layer of particles on the previously formed layer of particles, selectively applying the fluid to a portion of the additional layer of particles, and consolidating the metal nanoparticles, multiple times, to form a three-dimensional printed consolidated part.

2. The method of claim 1 , Therein. the consolidating comprises an elevated temperature cycle of under 400° C.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are coated with a coating to reduce oxidation of the metal in the metal nanoparticles.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles in the fluid are present as a metal-organic complex.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the consolidating comprises an elevated temperature cycle of under 250° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of particles comprises particles of two distributions.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nanoparticles are smaller than the particles of the layer of the particles.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises forming a final part by sintering the consolidated part to increase adhesion between the particles.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ink vehicle is water.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ink vehicle comprises water and co-solvent.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Erickson Kristopher J
• Nauka Krzysztof
• Anthony Thomas
• Zhao Lihua
• Tom Howard S

Classifications

• C23C24/08 Primary

  by application of heat or pressure and heat (C23C24/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F12/67

  Blades · CPC title

• B22F12/55

  Two or more means for feeding material · CPC title

• B22F12/30

  Platforms or substrates · CPC title