Method for channel formation in binder jet printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018236731-A1
Application number	US-201715436344-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 17, 2017
Priority date	Feb 17, 2017
Publication date	Aug 23, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of binder jet printing a part includes depositing a layer of a powder on a working surface and selectively printing a binder solution comprising a binder into the layer of powder in a first pattern to generate a printed layer. The pattern is representative of a structure of a layer of the part. The method also includes selectively printing a channel support agent solution comprising a channel support agent into the layer of powder to generate a green body. The channel support agent is selectively printed in a second pattern representative of an internal channel of the part. The method further includes heating the green body part above a first temperature to remove the binder and generate a brown body part and heating the brown body part above a second temperature to sinter the powder to generate the part having the internal channel generated from removal of the channel support agent.

First claim

1 . A method of binder jet printing a part comprising:
depositing a layer of a powder on a working surface; selectively printing a binder solution comprising a binder into the layer of powder in a first pattern to generate a printed layer, wherein the pattern is representative of a structure of a layer of the part; selectively printing a channel support agent solution comprising a channel support agent into the layer of powder to generate a green body, wherein the channel support agent is selectively printed in a second pattern representative of an internal channel of the part; heating the green body part above a first temperature to remove the binder and generate a brown body part; and heating the brown body part above a second temperature to sinter the powder to generate the part having the internal channel generated from removal of the channel support agent.

2 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein heating the green body pan to the first temperature thermally decomposes that channel support agent such that the channel support agent is removed from the brown body part in a vapor phase.

3 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein heating the green body part to the first temperature thermally melts that channel support agent such that the channel support agent is removed from the brown body part in a liquid phase.

4 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein the channel support agent is an anti-sintering agent disposed over a portion of the layer of powder, and comprising removing the portion of the layer of powder after heating the brown body above the second temperature.

5 . The method of binder jet printing. the part of claim 4 , wherein the anti-sintering agent comprises a metal oxide, nitride, boride, carbide, or a combination thereof.

6 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , comprising removing a portion of the powder from the layer to create a cavity within the layer of the powder before selectively printing the channel support agent solution.

7 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 6 , wherein the channel support agent fills the cavity.

8 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein the channel support agent comprises an aliphatic polymer, an acrylic polymer, a wax, or a combination thereof.

9 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein the brown body is substantially free of the channel support agent before heating the brown body part above the second temperature.

10 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 1 , wherein the one or more internal channels is between approximately 50 microns and approximately 500 microns in at least one dimension.

11 . The method of binder jet printing. the part of claim 1 , wherein the layer of powder has a thickness of between approximately 10 microns and approximately 200 microns.

12 . A part manufactured via a binder jet printing process comprising the steps of:
depositing a layer of a powder on a working surface; selectively printing a binder solution hinder into the layer of powder in a first pattern to generate a printed layer, wherein the pattern is representative of a structure of a layer of the part; selectively printing a channel support agent solution comprising a channel support agent into the layer of powder to generate a green body, wherein the channel support agent is selectively printed in a second pattern representative of an internal channel of the part; heating the green body part above a first temperature to remove the binder and generate a brown body part; and heating the brown body part above a second temperature to sinter the powder to generate the part having the internal channel generated from removal of the channel support agent.

13 . The part of claim 12 , wherein the channel support is removed from the brown body part before heating the brown body part above the second temperature such that the brown body part is substantially free of the channel support agent.

14 . The part of claim 12 , wherein the channel support is removed after heating the brown body pan above the second temperature.

15 . The part of claim 12 , wherein the chemical support agent comprises an aliphatic polymer, an acrylic polymer, a wax, or a combination thereof.

16 . The part of claim 12 , wherein the channel support agent comprises an anti-sintering agent coating a portion of the layer of powder that blocks consolidation of particles in the portion of the layer of the powder during sintering.

17 . The part of claim 12 , wherein the internal channel comprises a micro-channel have at least one dimension that is between approximately 50 microns and approximately 500 microns in at least one dimension.

18 . The part of claim 12 , the part comprises a fuel tip, a fuel nozzle, a shroud, a micro mixer, or a turbine blade.

19 . A method of binder jet printing a part comprising:
selectively printing a channel support agent solution comprising a channel support agent onto a working surface in a first pattern to generate a channel support layer, wherein the first pattern is representative of an internal channel of the part; depositing a layer of a powder on the working surface around the channel support agent; selectively printing a binder solution comprising a binder into the layer of the powder in a second pattern to generate a printed layer of a green body part, wherein the pattern is representative of a structure of a layer of the part; heating the green body part above a first temperature to remove the binder and the channel support and generate a brown body part having the internal channel generated from removal of the channel support agent; and heating the brown body part above a second temperature to sinter the powder to generate the part having the internal channel.

20 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 19 , wherein the layer of the powder is deposited around the channel support agent such that a thickness of the layer of the powder is substantially equal to a thickness of the channel support agent.

21 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 19 , comprising selectively depositing the channel support agent solution on top of the channel support agent of a previously printed layer of the green body part.

22 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 19 , comprising removing the channel support agent from the brown body part before heating the brown body part above the second temperature.

23 . The method of binder jet priming the part of claim 19 , wherein the channel support agent comprises an aliphatic thermoplastic polymer, an acrylic polymer, a wax, or a combination thereof.

24 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 19 , wherein heating the green body part to the first temperature thermally decomposes that channel support agent such that the channel support agent is removed from the brown body part in a vapor phase.

25 . The method of binder jet printing the part of claim 19 , wherein heating the green body part to the first temperature thermally melts that channel support agent such that the channel support agent is removed from the brown body part in a liquid phase.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Natarajan Arunkumar
• Gonzalez Carlos Bonilla
• Bromberg Vadim
• Schoonover Jeffrey Jon
• Kottilingam Srikanth Chandrudu
• Singh Prabhjot
• Chan Kwok Pong

Classifications

• B22F10/28

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

• B22F10/14

  by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder · CPC title

• B22F10/43

  characterised by material · CPC title

• B22F3/1021 Primary

  Removal of binder or filler (removal of binder from ceramics C04B35/638) · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title