Method of manufacturing aluminum alloy articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017016095-A1
Application number	US-201514801682-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Jul 16, 2015
Publication date	Jan 19, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for making an article is disclosed. The method involves first generating a digital model of the article. The digital model is inputted into an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising an energy source. The additive manufacturing apparatus applies energy from the energy source to successively applied incremental quantities of a powder to fuse the powder to form the article corresponding to the digital model. The powder includes an aluminum alloy having 85.20-96.40 wt. % aluminum, 2.50-4.00 wt. % magnesium, 0.10-0.50 wt. % copper, 0.50-1.00 wt. % nickel, 0.50-5.50 wt. % zinc, 0-0.15 wt. % chromium, 0-3.00 wt. % titanium, 0-0.50 wt. % boron, and 0-0.15 wt. % other alloying elements, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

First claim

1 . A method for making an article, comprising:
generating a digital model of the article; inputting the digital model into an additive manufacturing apparatus or system comprising an energy source; and repeatedly applying energy from the energy source to successively applied incremental quantities of a powder to fuse the powder to form the article corresponding to the digital model, wherein the powder comprises an aluminum alloy comprising 85.20-96.40 wt. % aluminum, 2.50-4.00 wt. % magnesium, 0.10-0.50 wt. % copper, 0.50-1.00 wt. % nickel, 0.50-5.50 wt. % zinc, 0-0.15 wt. % chromium, 0-3.00 wt. % titanium, 0-0.50 wt. % boron, and 0-0.15 wt. % other alloying elements, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy source sinters the incremental quantities of the aluminum alloy powder.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy source melts or fluidizes the incremental quantities of the aluminum alloy powder.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy source provides homogeneous melting of the incremental quantities of the aluminum alloy powder.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing an inert atmosphere around the aluminum alloy powder.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selectively exposing incremental quantities of aluminum alloy powder in a layer of a powder bed over a support with a laser or electron beam to fuse the selectively exposed aluminum alloy powder in a pattern over the support corresponding to a layer of the digital model of the article, and repeatedly; providing a layer of the powder over the selectively exposed layer and selectively exposing incremental quantities of aluminum alloy powder in the layer to fuse the selectively exposed aluminum alloy powder in a pattern corresponding to another layer of the digital model of the article.

7 . The method of claim 8 , wherein providing additional layers of the powder includes re-positioning the support to maintain each layer being fused at a constant position with respect to the laser or electron beam.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises 0.50-3.00 wt. % titanium and 0.10-0.50 wt. % boron, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the molar ratio of titanium to boron is from 3:1 to 9:1.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said other alloying elements include 0.50-1.00 wt. % titanium and 0.10-0.25 wt. % boron, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises 0.10-0.50 wt. % copper, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises 2.50-3.50 wt. % magnesium, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises chromium in an amount up to 0.15 wt. % chromium, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises 0.50-1.50 wt. % zinc.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises 4.50-5.50 wt. % zinc.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy comprises an intermetallic phase comprising magnesium, zinc, and copper.

17 . An aluminum alloy comprising 85.20-96.40 wt. % aluminum, 2.50-4.00 wt. % magnesium, 0.10-0.50 wt. % copper, 0.50-1.00 wt. % nickel, 0.50-5.50 wt. % zinc, 0-0.15 wt. % chromium, 0-3.00 wt. % titanium, 0-0.50 wt. % boron, and 0-0.15 wt. % other alloying elements, based on the total weight of the aluminum alloy.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Karlen Eric
• Wentland William Louis
• Mironets Sergey
• Ocken Thomas J
• Bianco Robert

Classifications

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F12/67

  Blades · CPC title

• B22F12/44

  characterised by the configuration of the radiation means · CPC title

• B22F10/32

  of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber · CPC title