Method of additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12564883-B2
Application number	US-202218261533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2022
Priority date	Jan 18, 2021
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

A method of additive manufacturing an article from a feed material in a chamber includes evacuating at least some of a first gas from the chamber, thereby reducing a pressure therein from a first pressure to a second pressure and reducing the first gas from a first concentration to a second concentration. At least some of the first gas is then gettered from the chamber using a getter, thereby lowering the first gas concentration to a third concentration. The article is then additive manufactured from the feed material in the chamber using the getter as a substrate. The gettering comprises heating the getter at least in part using a fusion source, and the additive manufacturing comprises heating the feed material at least in part using the fusion source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of additive manufacturing of an article from a feed material in a chamber, the method comprising:
A) evacuating at least some of a first gas from the chamber, said evacuating comprising reducing a pressure therein from a first pressure to a second pressure, wherein the first gas has a first concentration at the first pressure and a second concentration at the second pressure; B) gettering at least some of the first gas from the evacuated chamber using a getter located in the evacuated chamber, thereby lowering the concentration of the first gas from the second concentration to a third concentration; and C) additive manufacturing the article from the feed material in the gettered chamber; wherein:
step B) comprises heating the getter using, at least in part, a fusion source;
step C comprises heating the feed material using, at least in part, the fusion source; and
in step C) the article is additive manufactured using the getter as a substrate comprising a baseplate.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step B) heating the getter comprises melting, ablating and/or subliming, at least in part, the getter.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the getter is a Ti alloy, a Ni alloy, an Al alloy, a Co alloy or a stainless steel.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein step B) comprises reducing the pressure in the chamber from the second pressure to a third pressure, wherein the first gas has the third concentration at the third pressure.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas is oxygen and the third concentration is in a range from 0 ppm to 50 ppm.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, between step A) and step B), backfilling or purging the evacuated chamber.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising measuring the third concentration.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising introducing the feed material into the chamber between step B) and step C).

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the feed material comprises a first row transition metal, a second row transition metal, a group III element, and/or a mixture thereof.

Assignees

• Bae Systems Plc

Inventors

• Stewart Peter Neil
• Price Howard James

Classifications

• B22F2999/00

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

• B22F2201/03

  Oxygen · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title