Three-dimensional (3D) printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12121973-B2
Application number	US-202318125042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2023
Priority date	Apr 19, 2016
Publication date	Oct 22, 2024
Grant date	Oct 22, 2024

Abstract

In a three-dimensional printing method example, a liquid functional agent is selectively applied. The liquid functional agent includes an alloying agent. A metallic build material is applied. The liquid functional agent is selectively applied before the metallic build material, after the metallic build material, or both before and after the metallic build material. The liquid functional agent patterns the metallic build material to form a composite layer. At least some of the metallic build material is exposed to energy to melt the at least some of the metallic build material to form a layer. Upon contact or after energy exposure, the alloying agent and the build material alter a composition of the composite layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional (3D) printing system, comprising:
a supply bed including a supply of a metallic build material;
a build material distributor;
an inkjet applicator including a supply of a liquid functional agent and to selectively dispense the liquid functional agent, the liquid functional agent including a vehicle and an alloying agent selected from the group consisting of an alloying element that interacts with a metallic build material to form an alloy, a metal oxide that reduces to form the alloying element, and a thermally decomposing precursor that liberates the alloying element, wherein the thermally decomposing precursor is selected from the group consisting of sucrose, a metal carbonyl, an organometallic compound of a transition metal, and a dispersion of alloying metal oxide particles;
a controller;
a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions to cause the controller to:
utilize the build material distributor to dispense the metallic build material; and
utilize the applicator to selectively dispense the liquid functional agent after the dispensing of the metallic build material to pattern the metallic build material and form a composite layer; and

an energy source to expose at least some of the metallic build material to energy to melt the at least some of the metallic build material to form a layer:
wherein upon contact or after energy exposure, the alloying agent and the build material alter a composition of the composite layer.

2. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the alloying agent is the metal oxide that reduces to form the alloying element, and wherein the alloying element is an elemental metal.

3. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 2 , further comprising:
a fabrication bed to receive the metallic build material; and
a reducing gas or an inert gas in combination with the reducing gas that is to be introduced into an environment around the fabrication bed, wherein the reducing gas is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide gas.

4. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 2 , further comprising:
a supply of a second liquid functional agent including a reducing species selected from the group consisting of a sugar and an aldehyde; and
an inkjet applicator for selectively dispensing the second liquid functional agent.

5. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 2 , wherein:
the metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of iron (II) oxide, iron (III) oxide, iron (II, III) oxide, magnesium oxide, chromium (II) oxide, chromium (III) oxide, chromium dioxide, chromium trioxide, chromium (IV) oxide, zinc oxide, cadmium oxide, cobalt (I) oxide, cobalt (II) oxide, cobalt (II, III) oxide, copper (I) oxide, copper (II) oxide, copper peroxide, copper (III) oxide, mercury (I) oxide, mercury (II) oxide, molybdenum dioxide, molybdenum trioxide, nickel (II) oxide, nickel (III) oxide, titanium monoxide, titanium dioxide, dititanium trioxide, aluminum oxide, bismuth (III) oxide, gallium (III) oxide, indium (III) oxide, lead (II) oxide, lead dioxide, lead (II, IV) oxide, tin (II) oxide, tin (IV) oxide, zirconium dioxide, vanadium (II) oxide, vanadium (III) oxide, vanadium (IV) oxide, vanadium (V) oxide, phosphorous (III) oxide, and phosphorous (V) oxide.

6. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the thermally decomposing precursor is the metal carbonyl, and the metal carbonyl is selected from the group consisting of Ni(CO 4 ), Fe(CO 5 ), and Cr(CO) 6 .

7. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the thermally decomposing precursor is the organometallic compound of the transition metal, and the organometallic compound of the transition metal is a cyclopentadienyl complex of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Fe, Ni, Rh, Zr, and Ti.

8. The 3D printing system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the alloying agent is the alloying element that interacts with the metallic build material to form the alloy; and
the alloying element is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, copper, silver, gold, carbon, boron, sulfur, silicon, nickel, tin, and indium.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Shaarawi Mohammed S
• Mckinnell James
• Kasperchik Vladek
• Champion David A
• Long Greg Scott

Classifications

• B22F2009/041

  by mechanical alloying, e.g. blending, milling · CPC title

• B22F10/64

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

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · CPC title

• B22F10/20

  Direct sintering or melting · CPC title

• B22F1/10

  Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material · CPC title