System, process and related sintered article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11746022-B2
Application number	US-202217988013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2022
Priority date	Jan 26, 2016
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A process of forming a sintered article includes heating a green portion of a tape of polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals in organic binder at a binder removal zone to a temperature sufficient to pyrolyze the binder; horizontally conveying the portion of tape with organic binder removed from the binder removal zone to a sintering zone; and sintering polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals of the portion of tape at the sintering zone, wherein the tape simultaneously extends through the removal and sintering zones.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process of making a sintered article, comprising:
conveying a tape comprising polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals to, through, and from a sintering zone;
sintering the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals at the sintering zone; and
tensioning the tape during the sintering,
wherein the tape contemporaneously comprises:
(A) grains of the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals held by an organic binder; and
(B) at least partially sintered polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals free of the organic binder.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising supporting the tape within the sintering zone with a gas bearing.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the sintering is at a temperature greater than 800 degrees Celsius.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein, in a processing direction, the tape is longer than the sintering zone.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein length of the tape is at least 100 times greater than width of the tape, and wherein the width is at least 10 times greater than thickness of the tape, and wherein the thickness is no more than 500 micrometers.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the conveying is horizontally conveying.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein during the sintering density of the tape increases.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein during the sintering width of the tape decreases.

9. The process of claim 1 , further comprising cooling a portion of the tape comprising the sintered polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals to a temperature below 150 degrees Celsius.

10. The process of claim 9 , further comprising wrapping the portion of the tape comprising the sintered polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals around an uptake reel following cooling.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the tensioning flattens the tape.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein surfaces of the tape, after the sintering, have a flatness from 0.1 μm to 50 μm over a distance of 1 cm along a length of tape.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein the tensioning comprises 75 kPa of tension.

14. The process of claim 1 , wherein the tape is continuously conveyed through the sintering zone during the sintering.

15. The process of claim 1 , further comprising unwinding the tape from a reel during the conveying.

16. A process of making a sintered article, comprising:
conveying a tape comprising polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals to, through, and from a sintering zone; and
sintering the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals at the sintering zone,
wherein the tape contemporaneously comprises:
(A) grains of the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals held by an organic binder;
(B) at least partially sintered polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals free of the organic binder; and
wherein the tape, after the sintering, has a total transmittance of at least 30% at wavelengths from 300 nm to 800 nm.

17. A process of making a sintered article, comprising:
conveying a tape comprising polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals to, through, and from a sintering zone; and
sintering the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals at the sintering zone,
wherein the tape contemporaneously comprises:
(A) grains of the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals held by an organic binder; and
(B) at least partially sintered polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals free of the organic binder; and
wherein diffuse transmission through tape, after the sintering, is in a range from 10% to 60% at wavelengths from 300 nm to 800 nm.

18. A process of making a sintered article, comprising:
conveying a tape comprising polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals to, through, and from a sintering zone;
sintering the polycrystalline ceramic and/or minerals at the sintering zone; and
tensioning the tape during the sintering, wherein the tensioning comprises 75 kPa of tension.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Badding Michael Edward
• Bouton William Joseph
• Brackley Douglas Edward
• Kester Lanrik Wayne
• Ketcham Thomas Dale
• Miller Eric Lee
• Tanner Cameron Wayne
• Zimmermann James William

Classifications

• C01F7/441 Primary

  by calcination · CPC title

• C01G25/02

  Oxides · CPC title

• C03B19/06

  by sintering, {e.g. by cold isostatic pressing of powders and subsequent sintering, by hot pressing of powders, by sintering slurries or dispersions not undergoing a liquid phase reaction} · CPC title

• C03B29/12

  being in a horizontal position on a fluid support, e.g. a gas or molten metal · CPC title

• C03B35/246

  Transporting continuous glass ribbons · CPC title