Lamination shaping powder evaluation method and lamination shaping powder therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11644397-B2
Application number	US-201716641963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Aug 25, 2017
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

This invention relates to a method of evaluating a squeegeeing property of powder for lamination shaping by stable criteria. In this method, the squeegeeing property is evaluated using at least a satellite adhesion ratio of the powder and an apparent density of the powder. The satellite adhesion ratio is the ratio of the number of particles on which satellites are adhered to the number of all particles. If the satellite adhesion ratio is equal to or less than 50%, and the apparent density is equal to or more than 3.5 g/cm3, the squeegeeing property is evaluated as that the powder can be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping. Furthermore, if the 50% particle size of a powder obtained by a laser diffraction method is 3 to 250 μm, the squeegeeing property is evaluated as that the powder can be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of evaluating a squeegeeing property of a powder for use in lamination shaping, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a satellite adhesion ratio of the powder as a ratio of a number of particles on which satellites are adhered to a number of all particles included in the powder;
measuring an apparent density of the powder in a JIS Z 2504:2012 compliant way corresponding to ISO 3923-1:2008; and
evaluating whether the squeegeeing property of the powder is suitable to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping based at least in part on whether the following evaluation criteria are met: (a) the satellite adhesion ratio of the powder is equal to or less than 50% and (b) an apparent density of the powder is equal to or more than 3.5 g/cm 3 , the squeegeeing property of the powder being evaluated as unsuitable for the lamination shaping unless at least evaluation criteria (a) and (b) are met.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the powder is metal powder or metal alloy powder.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the metal powder or the metal alloy is copper powder or copper alloy powder.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the powder is copper powder or copper alloy powder.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of obtaining a 50% particle size of the powder by a laser diffraction method;
wherein the evaluation as to whether the squeegeeing property of the powder is suitable to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping is also based on whether the following evaluation criterion is met: (c) the 50% particle size of the powder is 3 to 250 μm, the squeegeeing property of the powder being evaluated as unsuitable for the lamination shaping unless at least evaluation criteria (a), (b) and (c) are met.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the powder is copper powder or copper alloy powder.

7. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising a step of calculating an adhesive force of the powder from a failure envelope obtained by a shear test performed by a powder rheometer;
wherein the evaluation as to whether the squeegeeing property of the powder is suitable to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping is also based on whether the following evaluation criterion is met: (d) the adhesive force is equal to or less than 0.450 kPa; the squeegeeing property of the powder being evaluated as unsuitable for the lamination shaping unless at least evaluation criteria (a), (b), (c) and (d) are met.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the powder is metal powder or metal alloy powder.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of calculating an adhesive force of the powder from a failure envelope obtained by a shear test performed by a powder rheometer;
wherein the evaluation as to whether the squeegeeing property of the powder is suitable to be spread into a uniform powder layer in the lamination shaping is also based on whether the following evaluation criterion is met: (d) the adhesive force is equal to or less than 0.450 kPa, the squeegeeing property of the powder being evaluated as unsuitable for the lamination shaping unless at least evaluation criteria (a), (b) and (d) are met.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the powder is metal powder or metal alloy powder.

Assignees

• Fukuda Metal Foil & Powder Co Ltd
• Tech Res Association Future Additive Manufacturing

Inventors

• Matsumoto Seiichi
• Sugitani Yuji
• Nishida Motonori

Classifications

• B22F1/14

  Treatment of metallic powder (mixing with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10) · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title

• G01N2015/0096

  Investigating consistence of powders, dustability, dustiness · CPC title

• B22F1/06

  Metallic powder characterised by the shape of the particles (nanosized particles B22F1/054) · CPC title

• G01N15/0211 Primary

  Investigating a scatter or diffraction pattern · CPC title