Additive manufacturing an object from material with a selective diffusion barrier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016332253-A1
Application number	US-201515111389-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 22, 2015
Priority date	Jan 24, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A manufacturing process is provided in which material is supported within a chamber. This material includes a plurality of discrete metal particles and ceramic disposed between at least some of the metal particles. At least a portion of the material is solidified together using an additive manufacturing system to form an object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A manufacturing process, comprising:
supporting material within a chamber, the material including a plurality of discrete metal particles and ceramic disposed between at least some of the metal particles; and solidifying at least a portion of the material together using an additive manufacturing system to form an object.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic substantially inhibits the metal particles from sintering together.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a first of the metal particles is at least partially encased by a coating of the ceramic.

4 . The process of claim 3 , further comprising directing a material particle into the chamber, wherein the material particle includes the first of the metal particles that is at least partially encased by the coating of the ceramic.

5 . The process of claim 3 , further comprising at least partially encasing the first of the metal particles with the coating of the ceramic within the chamber.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic comprises a plurality of discrete ceramic particles, and the material comprises a mixture of the metal particles with the ceramic particles.

7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a mass fraction of the ceramic within the material is substantially equal to or less than about five percent.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a mass fraction of the ceramic within the material is substantially equal to or less than about one percent.

9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a melting point of the ceramic is higher than a melting point of the metal particles.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the solidifying comprises fusing at least some of the metal particles together using an energy beam generated by the additive manufacturing system.

11 . A manufacturing process, comprising:
providing material that includes a plurality of particles and a substance at least partially separating at least some of the particles; and fusing at least a portion of the material together to form an object using an energy beam generated by an additive manufacturing system; wherein a melting point of the substance is higher than a melting point of the particles.

12 . The process of claim 11 , wherein a first of the particles comprises metal.

13 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the substance comprises non-metal.

14 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the substance comprises ceramic.

15 . The process of claim 11 , wherein a first of the particles is at least partially encased by a coating of the substance.

16 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the particles comprise first particles, the substance comprises a plurality of discrete second particles, and the material comprises a substantially homogeneous mixture of the first particles with the second particles.

17 . An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
a housing with an internal chamber; a distribution device adapted to deposit a plurality of particles within the chamber, and deposit a substance within the chamber between at least some of the particles, wherein the particles and the substance are included in material; and a solidification device adapted to solidify at least a portion of the material together to additive manufacture an object.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the distribution device is adapted to mix the particles with a plurality of second particles, which are included in the substance, to deposit the substance between the at least some of the particles.

19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the distribution device is adapted to at least partially encase a first of the particles with a coating of the substance within the chamber.

20 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the solidification device is adapted to generate an energy beam for solidifying the at least a portion of the material.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Nardi Aaron T
• Dardas Zissis

Classifications

• B23K2103/52

  Ceramics · CPC title

• C04B35/46

  based on titanium oxides or titanates (containing also zirconium or hafnium oxides, zirconates or hafnates C04B35/49) · CPC title

• C04B2235/404

  Refractory metals · CPC title

• B23K2103/08

  Non-ferrous metals or alloys · CPC title

• B23K26/144

  the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder · CPC title