Manufacturing system, process, article, and furnace

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018104848-A1
Application number	US-201715847310-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2015
Publication date	Apr 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A manufacturing system includes a tape advancing through the manufacturing system and a station of the manufacturing system. The tape includes a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder. The station of the manufacturing system receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and, at least in part, prepare the tape for sintering.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A manufacturing system, comprising:
a tape advancing through the manufacturing system, the tape including a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder; and a station of the manufacturing system that receives the first portion of the tape and prepares the tape for sintering by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material, to form a second portion of the tape and thereby at least in part prepare the tape for sintering.

2 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein at an instant the tape simultaneously extends to, through, and from the station such that at the instant the tape includes the first portion continuously connected to the second portion.

3 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the station chars or burns at least most of the organic binder, in terms of weight, from the first portion of the tape without sintering the grains of the inorganic material.

4 . The manufacturing system of claim 3 , wherein the station comprises an active heater to char or burn at least most of the organic binder from the first portion of the tape as the tape interfaces with the station to form the second portion of the tape.

5 . The manufacturing system of claim 4 , wherein the active heater includes heating zones such that the rate of heat energy received by the tape increases as the tape advances through the station.

6 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the station is a first station and the manufacturing system further comprises a second station, wherein the second station at least partially sinters the inorganic material of the second portion of the tape to form a third portion of the tape.

7 . The manufacturing system of claim 6 , wherein at an instant the tape includes the first portion continuously connected to the third portion by way of the second portion.

8 . The manufacturing system of claim 6 , wherein the first station is close to the second station such that distance between the first and second stations is less than 10 m, thereby mitigating thermal shock of the second portion of the tape.

9 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the tape is under positive lengthwise tension as the tape advances.

10 . The manufacturing system of claim 9 , wherein the lengthwise tension in the second portion of the tape is less than 500 grams-force per mm 2 of cross section.

11 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing system blows and/or draws gas over the tape as the tape advances through the station.

12 . The manufacturing system of claim 11 , wherein the station heats the tape above a temperature at which the organic binder would ignite without the gas blown and/or drawn over the tape, whereby the organic binder chars or burns but the tape does not catch fire.

13 . The manufacturing system of claim 11 , wherein flow of the gas blown and/or drawn over the tape as the tape advances through the station is laminar at least over the second portion of the tape.

14 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the tape advances horizontally through the station, and wherein, as the tape advances through the station, the tape is directly supported by a gas bearing and/or an underlying surface and moves relative to that surface.

15 . The manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the tape is substantially more bendable than the second portion such that a minimum bend radius without fracture of the first portion is less than half that of the second portion.

16 . A furnace to prepare green tape for sintering, comprising:
walls defining a passage having inlet and outlet openings on opposing ends of the passage, wherein the passage has a length between the inlet and outlet openings of at least 5 cm, and wherein the outlet opening is narrow and elongate, having a height and a width orthogonal to the height, wherein the height is less than a fifth of the width, and wherein the height is less than 2 cm; and a heater that actively provides heat energy to the passage, wherein the heater reaches temperatures of at least 200° C.

17 . The furnace of claim 16 , further comprising a gas motivator that blows and/or draws gas through the passage.

18 . The furnace of claim 17 , wherein the gas motivator delivers at least 1 liter of gas per minute through the passage.

19 . The furnace of claim 16 , wherein the passage is horizontally oriented.

20 . The furnace of claim 16 , wherein the heater comprises heat zones that increase temperature along the passage with distance from the inlet toward the outlet.

21 . A method of processing tape, comprising the following steps:
advancing a tape through a manufacturing system, the tape including a first portion having grains of an inorganic material bound by an organic binder; and preparing the tape for sintering by forming a second portion of the tape at a station of the manufacturing system by chemically changing the organic binder and/or removing the organic binder from the first portion of the tape, leaving the grains of the inorganic material.

22 . The method of processing of claim 21 , wherein at an instant the tape extends to, through, and from the station such that at the instant the tape includes the first portion continuously connected to the second portion.

23 . The method of processing of claim 21 , wherein the step of preparing the tape for sintering further comprises charring or burning at least most of the organic binder from the first portion of the tape without sintering the grains of the inorganic material.

24 . The method of processing of claim 21 , wherein the first portion of the tape is substantially more bendable than the second portion such that a minimum bend radius without fracture of the first portion is less than half that of the second portion.

25 . The method of processing of claim 21 , wherein the station of the manufacturing system is a first station and the method of processing further comprises steps of receiving the second portion of the tape at a second station, and at least partially sintering the inorganic material of the second portion of the tape at the second station to form a third portion of the tape.

26 . The method of processing of claim 25 , wherein at an instant the tape includes the first portion continuously connected to the third portion by way of the second portion.

27 . The method of processing of claim 21 , further comprising a step of positively tensioning the second portion of the tape as the tape advances.

28 . The method of processing of claim 27 , wherein the step of positively tensioning is such that lengthwise tension in the second portion of the tape is less than 500 grams-force per mm 2 of cross section.

29 . The method of processing of claim 21 , further comprising a step of blowing and/or drawing gas over the tape as the tape advances through the station.

30 . The method of processing of claim 21 , wherein the step of advancing the tape further comprises horizontally advancing the tape through the station, and directly supporting the tape by a gas bearing and/or an underlying surface and moving the tape relative to that surface.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Badding Michael Edward
• Bouton William Joseph
• Kester Lanrik Wayne
• Ketcham Thomas Dale
• Kittleson Andrew Peter
• Marshall Dale Charles
• Merz Gary Edward
• Miller Eric Lee
• Okpara Emmanuel Chima
• Walsh Conor James

Classifications

• C04B2235/9615

  Linear firing shrinkage · CPC title

• C04B2235/3225

  Yttrium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof · CPC title

• C04B35/638

  Removal thereof · CPC title

• C04B2235/6025

  Tape casting, e.g. with a doctor blade · CPC title

• C04B2235/612

  Machining · CPC title