A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) jetting apparatus with improved performance. Particularly, electrodes are configured to deliver electrical current to an internal cavity of a nozzle of the jetting apparatus, and thus the molten metal inside. These electrodes are formed from or have a surface that is titanium diboride. The titanium diboride is connected to the source of electrical current by a highly conductive material with a low thermal expansion coefficient relative to the titanium diboride. Jetting apparatuses according to the disclosure have improved jetting characteristics, such as higher stable jetting frequencies, lower oxide growth on the nozzle land, leading to more time between nozzle cleanings, and a more stable jetting current from the start of jetting through steady state jetting.
B29C 64/255 - Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
B29C 59/10 - Surface shaping, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by electric discharge treatment
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
Methods and systems for forming break-away supports during additive manufacturing of objects via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) jetting. In MHD jetting supports may be required for certain overhang areas and/or other features. On a surface or surfaces that will contact the object and/or a build plate (or the like), a plasma discharge may be conducted to create a treated surface. The treated surface bonds weakly with the support relative to inter-layer bonds between construction layers. Thus, after printing is complete the supports can be easily separated without strong mechanical forces that may have otherwise damaged the printed object.
Disclosed is a pumping system with reduced contamination. A vacuum pump system includes a mechanical vacuum pump mechanism within a hermetic pump that hermetically isolates the pump mechanism from ambient air. A pump inlet is hermetically sealed to the hermetic pump housing. A pump outlet is hermetically sealed at one end to the hermetic pump housing and at the other end to an inlet of a Peclet seal tube. The vacuum pump system produces a vacuum in a vacuum processing chamber. A sweep gas source injects a sweep gas into at least one of (i) the hermetic pump housing and (ii) the inlet of the Peclet seal tube. The sweep gas and a process gas flow through the Peclet seal tube to substantially isolate against the backflow of the ambient air through the Peclet seal tube.
F27B 5/16 - Arrangements of air or gas supply devices
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27D 7/06 - Forming or maintaining special atmospheres or vacuum within heating chambers
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
F27D 99/00 - Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
Methods provide for fabricating objects through additive manufacturing in a manner that compensates for deformations introduced during post-print processing, such as sintering. An initial model may be divided into a plurality of segments, the initial model defining geometry of an object. For each of the segments, modified geometry may be calculated, where the modified geometry compensates for a predicted deformation. Print parameters can then be updated to incorporate the modified geometry, where the print parameters define geometry of the printed object (e.g., configuration settings of the printer, a tool path, an object model). The object may then be printed based on the updated print parameters.
A method of de-powdering green parts manufactured via binder jetting additive manufacturing. First, a bulk de-powdering operation is conducted on the green part. Next, a fine de-powdering operation is conducted on the green part. The fine de-powdering operation includes disposing the green part within a bed of shot brush de-powdering media and agitating the bed of shot brush de-powdering media to remove from at least one surface of the green part an amount of build material powder.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/20 - Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
6.
ADDITIVE FABRICATION OF SINTERABLE METALLIC PARTS VIA APPLICATION OF DIRECTED ENERGY
According to some aspects, techniques are provided for fabricating sinterable metallic parts through the application of directed energy to a build material. In particular, applying energy to a build material comprising a polymer mixed with a metal powder may cause the polymer to form a cohesive structure with the metal powder. As a result, the polymer acts as a “glue” to produce a metallic green part without local melting of the metal. The green part may subsequently be sintered to remove the polymer and produce a fully dense metal part. Optionally, a step of debinding may also be performed prior to, or simultaneously with, sintering.
B29C 64/153 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
A compound sintering furnace with managed contamination for debinding and sintering parts. An inner insulation layer is disposed within an outer insulation layer and has an internal hot face surrounding a work zone. A sealed housing surrounds the inner insulation layer and is composed of a refractory material capable of withstanding a service temperature greater than a debinding temperature and less than a sintering temperature. An outer heater system is configured to heat at least a portion of the sealed housing and externally heat the inner insulation layer to, in conjunction with an inner heater system, heat the work zone to the debinding temperature, and inhibit condensation of a binder within and upon the inner insulation layer during a debinding process. The inner heater system is configured to internally heat the inner insulation and heat the work zone to the sintering temperature.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
Techniques are provided for fabricating parts via additive manufacturing by causing a component of a build material powder to contact a binder composition to thereby perform a metathesis chain-growth polymerization reaction (e.g., an olefin metathesis polymerization reaction such as ring-opening metathesis polymerization).
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
Mold lock is remediated by performing a layer-by-layer, two-dimensional analysis to identify unconstrained removal paths for any support structure or material within each two-dimensional layer, and then ensuring that aligned draw paths are present for all adjacent layers, all as more specifically described herein. Where locking conditions are identified, a sequence of modification rules are then applied, such as by breaking support structures into multiple, independently removable pieces. By addressing mold lock as a series of interrelated two-dimensional geometric problems, and reserving three-dimensional remediation strategies for more challenging, complex mold lock conditions, substantial advantages can accrue in terms of computational speed and efficiency.
B29C 64/386 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
G05B 19/4099 - Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B28B 17/00 - SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER - Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
B29C 64/40 - Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
H04N 1/409 - Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression
B33Y 50/00 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
A system and method of curing build material powder. An amount of build material powder is placed in a container sealable with respect to a gaseous atmosphere present about the exterior of the container. The container is installed in a powder curing apparatus which includes a heating system and an agitation system. The heating system heats the build material powder to a temperature profile while the agitation system causes a portion of the build material powder in the container to be conveyed away from an interior surface of the container, and a second portion of the build material powder is conveyed toward an interior surface of the container.
B29C 64/153 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
A drum for storing and processing build material powder includes a cylindrical body having a plurality of circumferential rings and a plurality of internal baffles. The first end of the cylindrical body is sealed by a first cap that is tapered to an orifice. The second end of the cylindrical body is sealed by a second cap. A gas inlet configured to receive an inflow of an inert gas and a gas outlet configured to exhaust used gas from an interior of the drum.
B22F 10/25 - Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
A method of processing build material powder for binder jetting additive manufacturing. Build material powder requiring sieving is received in a first container at a sieving station where it is passed through a first conveyance loop to a sieving unit. After sieving the build material powder is deposited in a second container. The second container of build material powder, now sieved, is taken to a feed conveyance station. The feed conveyance station passes the build material powder from the second container to a binder jetting printer via a second conveyance loop.
B29C 64/153 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
A lifting system for a binder jetting additive manufacturing printer including a lift enclosure having a sealable access port and an aperture between an interior of the lift enclosure and a printing chamber. At least one lift column fixed to the interior of the lift enclosure is configured to vertically traverse a build box lift plate from a retracted position to a raised position, wherein in the raised position the build box lift plate indexes against at least one indexing stop. A platen lift is affixed to the box lift plate and is configured to traverse a build platen in a z-lift axis.
A carriage unit for binder jetting additive manufacturing of components. A carriage body is movably mounted to a carriage frame within a printer unit and configured to traverse relative to a work surface. Two compaction rollers are mounted to the carriage body. Each is configured to move between a retracted position disengaged from build material powder to a deployed condition to recoat build material powder over a work surface. A powder dispensing unit is mounted to the carriage body and configured to dispense a metered amount of the build material powder as the carriage body traverses over the work surface. A print head mounted to the carriage body is configured to deposit a predetermined pattern of binder as the carriage unit traverses relative to the work surface.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
16.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADJUSTING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) MODEL DURING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to systems and methods for adjusting a three-dimensional (3D) model used in metal additive manufacturing to maintain dimensional accuracy and repeatability of a fabricated 3D part. These embodiments may be used to reduce or remove geometric distortions in the fabricated 3D part. One exemplary method may include: receiving, via one or more processors, a selection made by a user; receiving a 3D model of a desired part; retrieving at least one model constant based on the user's selection; receiving an input of at least one process variable setting from a set of process variable settings; generating transformation factors based on the at least one process variable parameter and the at least one model constant; transforming the 3D model of the desired part based on the transformation factors; and generating processing instructions for fabricating the transformed 3D model of the desired part.
B29C 64/393 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B29C 64/379 - Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots
17.
GAS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR BINDER JETTING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
A gas management system for binder jetting additive manufacturing from build material powder includes a first volume at least partly within a binder jet printer that contains gas at a first pressure. A second volume encloses a plurality of process modules configured to deposit and bind build material powder. The second volume contains gas at a second pressure. A boundary between the first and second volumes includes a partition providing separation between the volumes and controls gaseous communication between them. A gas management system maintains a conditioned environment within the second volume during printing by selectively providing an inflow of process gas to the second volume. Process gas flows from the first volume to the second volume. The first pressure of the gas in the first volume is greater than the second pressure of the gas in the second volume.
B29C 64/371 - Conditioning of environment using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 70/10 - Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
B29C 64/153 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
B29C 64/393 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/188 - Processes of additive manufacturing involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control
18.
DOWNDRAFT SYSTEM FOR BINDER JETTING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
A powder collection system for use in binder jetting additive manufacturing. A downdraft system includes at least one powder collection chute disposed in an interior of a binder jetting printer and adjacent to a print deck. The downdraft system is configured to receive an amount of excess build material powder dislodged from the print deck by a powder spreading process. A pneumatic conveyance system including at least one conveyance plumbing tube provides gaseous communication between the downdraft system and a powder collection unit. A gas management system provides a flow of process gas through the downdraft system and the pneumatic conveyance system at a rate sufficient to convey the excess build material powder received by the downdraft through the pneumatical conveyance system to the powder collection unit. The powder collection unit separates the excess build material powder from the flow of process gas and collects it.
B29C 64/255 - Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
B22F 12/50 - Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
19.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MECHANICAL DISTORTION COMPENSATION
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for automatically generating mechanical part designs and manufacturing specifications/instructions that account for geometric distortions that may occur during manufacturing or post-processing.
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to the use of vapor phase change in binder jetting processes for forming three-dimensional objects. In general, a vapor of a first fluid may be directed to a layer of a powder spread across a build volume. The vapor may condense to reduce mobility of the particles of the powder of the layer. For example, the condensing vapor may reduce the likelihood of particle ejection from the layer and, thus, may reduce the likelihood of clogging or otherwise degrading a printhead used to jet a second fluid (e.g., a binder) to the layer. Further, or instead, the condensing vapor may increase the density of the powder in the layer which, when repeated over a plurality of layers forming a three-dimensional object, may reduce the likelihood of slumping of the part during sintering.
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B29C 64/20 - Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
B29C 64/371 - Conditioning of environment using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
B22F 10/00 - Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts are described in which powder is separated from parts by creating a large pressure differential between the powder and parts and a nearby location. The pressure differential may cause gas to quickly flow into and/or around the powder and parts, thereby producing a force against the powder and parts. Since the powder is generally much lighter than the parts, this force may be much more effective at moving the powder than moving the parts. As a result, the powder and parts may be separated from one another. The pressure differential may be created in various ways, such as by holding the parts and part in a chamber that is pressurized with air and/or other gas(es). Rapid depressurization of the chamber may produce the aforementioned pressure differential, leading to powder movement away from the parts.
Disclosed is a pumping system with reduced contamination. A vacuum pump system includes a mechanical vacuum pump mechanism within a hermetic pump that hermetically isolates the pump mechanism from ambient air. A pump inlet is hermetically sealed to the hermetic pump housing. A pump outlet is hermetically sealed at one end to the hermetic pump housing and at the other end to an inlet of a Peclet seal tube. The vacuum pump system produces a vacuum in a vacuum processing chamber. A sweep gas source injects a sweep gas into at least one of (i) the hermetic pump housing and (ii) the inlet of the Peclet seal tube. The sweep gas and a process gas flow through the Peclet seal tube to substantially isolate against the backflow of the ambient air through the Peclet seal tube.
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27B 5/16 - Arrangements of air or gas supply devices
23.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING INERT ENVIRONMENTS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING
Systems and methods for providing inert manufacturing and processing environments. In certain embodiments, a build box having green parts that were manufactured via binder jetting additive manufacturing is sealed with a lid and heat cured in an oven. A supply of process gas is delivered to the build box to provide an inert environment within the build box during the heating process, which results in an exhaust of gaseous species from the build box and prevents contamination from the ambient environment. In certain embodiments, copper-alloy parts are manufactured via binder jetting additive manufacturing in an inert environment to achieve higher final densities after post-processing and sintering.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to systems and methods for adjusting a three-dimensional (3D) model used in metal additive manufacturing to maintain dimensional accuracy and repeatability of a fabricated 3D part. These embodiments may be used to reduce or remove geometric distortions in the fabricated 3D part. One exemplary method may include: receiving, via one or more processors, a selection made by a user; receiving a 3D model of a desired part; retrieving at least one model constant based on the user's selection; receiving an input of at least one process variable setting from a set of process variable settings; generating transformation factors based on the at least one process variable parameter and the at least one model constant; transforming the 3D model of the desired part based on the transformation factors; and generating processing instructions for fabricating the transformed 3D model of the desired part.
B29C 64/393 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B29C 64/379 - Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
A retort for thermally processing sinterable objects including a retort body having an interior cavity configured to receive at least one part for sintering. The retort body includes a retort inlet, a fore volume, an inlet plenum, an outlet plenum and a retort outlet. The retort inlet is configured to be fluidly connected to a process gas inlet tube and receive a flow of process gas. The retort inlet is fluidly connected to the fore volume, the fore volume being configured to receive a cleansing object. The fore volume is fluidly connected to the inlet plenum, which is fluidly connected to the interior cavity, which is in turn fluidly connected to the outlet plenum. The outlet plenum is fluidly connected to the retort outlet which is configured to be fluidly connected to an effluent gas outlet tube via a Peclet sealing element.
F27B 5/16 - Arrangements of air or gas supply devices
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
26.
METHOD OF COMPENSATING FOR SINTERING WARPAGE DUE TO POWDER SPREADING DENSITY VARIATIONS IN BINDER JET 3D PRINTING
A method of compensating for sintering warpage due to powder spreading density variations in binder jetting additive manufacturing, including receiving an initial design file defining an object geometry, representing the object geometry as a part mesh and filling the mesh with a grid of voxels to create a voxel grid, each voxel having at least one shrinkage coefficient. For each voxel, determining a distortion factor caused by a powder density variation induced during a powder spreading process and adjusting the at shrinkage coefficient of each voxel according to its respective distortion factor. Next, a shrinkage of the grid of voxels is simulated according to a sintering process. A negative compensation is applied to the voxel grid, according to the simulated shrinkage of the grid of voxels, to form a compensated voxel grid. Lastly, the change in the voxel grid is mapped to the compensated voxel grid onto the part mesh to create a pre-processed compensated part mesh.
A method of compensating for shrinking and distortion of an object resulting from a manufacturing process. A scan is performed of an object following a manufacturing process to produce scan data. The scan data is aligned to a part mesh of the object. The part mesh is adjusted to substantially coincide with the scan data by moving part mesh vertices. Delta vectors are computed by subtracting initial part mesh vertex positions from final part mesh vertex positions. The inverse of the delta vectors are applied to the preprocessed part mesh to give a scan adjusted pre-processed shape.
A method of conditioning layers of build material powder for metal additive manufacturing including depositing an amount of build material powder on a work surface, the amount of build material powder having a lower surface separated from an upper surface by a height. A roller is traversed across the work surface in a first direction while rotating the roller in a direction opposed to the first direction. During the step of traversing the roller, a lower surface of the roller extends below the upper surface of the amount of build material powder by a distance. The roller has a surface conditioning configured to, in conjunction with a controlled speed of the rotation of the roller, provide a powder density in a compacted layer within a predetermined powder density range.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
29.
LAYER SPREADING AND COMPACTION IN BINDER JET 3D PRINTING
A method of conditioning layers of build material powder for metal additive manufacturing including depositing an amount of build material powder on a work surface, the amount of build material powder having a lower surface separated from an upper surface by a height. A roller is traversed across the work surface in a first direction while rotating the roller in a direction opposed to the first direction. During the step of traversing the roller, a lower surface of the roller extends below the upper surface of the amount of build material powder by a distance. The roller has a surface conditioning configured to, in conjunction with a controlled speed of the rotation of the roller, provide a powder density in a compacted layer within a predetermined powder density range.
B22F 1/00 - Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties
B22F 3/16 - Both compacting and sintering in successive or repeated steps
B22F 3/18 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor by using pressure rollers
B29C 64/147 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials using sheet material, e.g. laminated object manufacturing [LOM] or laminating sheet material precut to local cross sections of the 3D object
B29C 64/393 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
30.
THE JETTING PERFORMANCE OF MOLTEN METAL ALLOYS BY CONTROLLING THE CONCENTRATION OF KEY ALLOYING ELEMENTS
A method for improving part quality in additive manufacturing involving jetting liquid metal. Limiting the amounts of magnesium and zinc in a meniscus material to below predetermined thresholds improves jetting quality. Further, ensuring an amount of Strontium is above a predetermined threshold further improves jetting of the liquid metal.
B33Y 70/00 - Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
B22D 23/00 - Casting processes not provided for in groups
C22C 21/06 - Alloys based on aluminium with magnesium as the next major constituent
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
A method for improving part quality in additive manufacturing involving jetting liquid metal. Limiting the amounts of magnesium and zinc in a meniscus material to below predetermined thresholds improves jetting quality. Further, ensuring an amount of Strontium is above a predetermined threshold further improves jetting of the liquid metal.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
B22F 3/115 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor by spraying molten metal, i.e. spray sintering, spray casting
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to applying magnetohydrodynamic forces to liquid metal to eject liquid metal along a controlled pattern, such as a controlled three-dimensional pattern as part of additive manufacturing of an object. Electric current delivered to a meniscus of the liquid metal in a quiescent state can be directed to exert a pullback force on the liquid metal. The pullback force can be sufficient to draw the liquid metal, in the quiescent state, in a direction toward the nozzle to reduce the likelihood of unintended wetting of surfaces of the nozzle between uses of the nozzle.
B22F 3/115 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor by spraying molten metal, i.e. spray sintering, spray casting
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B05B 5/025 - Discharge apparatus, e.g. electrostatic spray guns
Embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems for controlling the packing behavior of powders for additive manufacturing applications. In some embodiments, a method for additive manufacturing includes adding a packing modifier to a base powder to form a build material. The build material may be spread to form a layer across a powder bed, and the build material may be selectively joined along a two-dimensional pattern associated with the layer. The steps of spreading a layer of build material and selectively joining the build material in the layer may be repeated to form a three-dimensional object. The packing modifier may be selected to enhance one or more powder packing and/or powder flow characteristics of the base powder to provide for improved uniformity of the additive manufacturing process, promote sintering, and/or to enhance the properties of the manufactured three-dimensional objects.
Improved formulations of an interface material are described. These formulations may, in at least some cases, match and/or accommodate dimensional changes in the part and/or support structure throughout thermal processing (e.g., debind and sintering, or sintering only). Furthermore, these formulations may also maintain the property of resisting bonding between the interface and the part and/or support structure while also maintaining a physical separation between the part and support structure. In some cases, an improved interface material may accommodate strain associated with the shrinkage of a part (and optionally support structure) during sintering while also minimally impacting the ability of the part (and optionally support structure) to shrink or otherwise change in dimension. In some cases, the interface material may include one or more fugitive phases that are removed during thermal processing (e.g., through pyrolysis of the fugitive phase(s)).
Improved formulations of an interface material are described. These formulations may, in at least some cases, match and/or accommodate dimensional changes in the part and/or support structure throughout thermal processing (e.g., debind and sintering, or sintering only). Furthermore, these formulations may also maintain the property of resisting bonding between the interface and the part and/or support structure while also maintaining a physical separation between the part and support structure. In some cases, an improved interface material may accommodate strain associated with the shrinkage of a part (and optionally support structure) during sintering while also minimally impacting the ability of the part (and optionally support structure) to shrink or otherwise change in dimension. In some cases, the interface material may include one or more fugitive phases that are removed during thermal processing (e.g., through pyrolysis of the fugitive phase(s)).
B22F 7/06 - Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools
B22F 10/18 - Formation of a green body by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF]
B22F 10/43 - Structures for supporting workpieces or articles during manufacture and removed afterwards characterised by material
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
B29C 64/40 - Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
40 - Treatment of materials; recycling, air and water treatment,
42 - Scientific, technological and industrial services, research and design
Goods & Services
Computer-assisted additive manufacturing machines for
producing three-dimensional parts for further manufacture in
the fields of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. 3D printing of custom three-dimensional parts on a per-order
basis with the aid of rapid prototyping machines. Design and development of rapid prototyping machines and
consultation services in connection therewith.
38.
WATER SOLUBLE NYLON BINDER COMPOSITIONS FOR ADDITIVE FABRICATION AND RELATED METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS
According to some aspects, techniques are described for fabricating sinterable metallic parts using a binder formulation that comprises a water-soluble polyamide, such as nylon. A binder comprising a water-soluble polyamide may allow a binder jetting process to produce high strength brown parts due to the toughness of such binders as compared to other water soluble binders such as polyacrylic acid or polyvinyl alcohol. Water soluble polyamides may simultaneously provide higher printhead reliability due to their water retaining characteristics and avoid the use of more expensive, toxic and often flammable solvents. Additionally, polyamide binders may react at a curing temperature with the properly selected humectants such as ethylene urea or hydantoin to create a part that is insensitive to strength loss due to moisture in the cured state.
Disclosed is the measurement and control of height in the Z-axis of layers produced in an additive manufacturing process. The height of layers being deposited can be monitored, which may involve the use of a fiducial tower to measure a global errors or optical or other means to measure layers on a layer-by-layer basis. Droplet size, pitch and other conditions may be modified to ameliorate or correct detected errors.
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
A dross removal system for magnetohydrodynamic additive. A vacuum source is used to create a pressure differential at a nozzle opening sufficient to collect dross from a pool of molten metal. The dross and any collected molten metal can be captured in a waste bin for later disposal. 308
B22F 12/00 - Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B08B 5/04 - Cleaning by suction, with or without auxiliary action
B08B 13/00 - Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning
A controlled environment system for the additive manufacture of metal objects using magnetohydrodynamic jetting. A sealing plate is placed against an Péclet gap seal of a volume enclosure. A flow of inert gas is used to maintain a high-purity volume in the interior of the volume enclosure. A print head accesses the interior and delivers build material through a hole in the sealing plate. A build plate is movable relative to the sealing plate within the interior of the volume enclosure on which objects can be fabricated.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B22D 23/00 - Casting processes not provided for in groups
The present disclosure includes a furnace for heating and/or sintering one or more three-dimensional printed metal parts. The furnace includes a furnace chamber, insulation within the furnace chamber, a retort within the furnace chamber, and one or more getters containing getter material. The retort is configured to receive the one or more three-dimensional printed metal parts.
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
F27B 5/16 - Arrangements of air or gas supply devices
F27D 17/00 - Arrangement for using waste heat; Arrangement for using, or disposing of, waste gases
F27D 7/06 - Forming or maintaining special atmospheres or vacuum within heating chambers
40 - Treatment of materials; recycling, air and water treatment,
42 - Scientific, technological and industrial services, research and design
Goods & Services
Computer-assisted additive manufacturing machines for producing three-dimensional parts for further manufacture in the fields of 3D printing and additive manufacturing 3D printing of custom three-dimensional parts on a per-order basis with the aid of rapid prototyping machines Design and development of rapid prototyping machines and consultation services in connection therewith
46.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POWDER BED DENSITY MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Systems and methods are disclosed for forming a three-dimensional object using additive manufacturing. One method includes depositing a first amount of powder material onto a powder print bed of a printing system, spreading the first amount of powder material across the powder print bed to form a first layer, measuring a density of powder material within the powder print bed, and adjusting a parameter of the printing system based on the measured density of the powder material within the powder print bed.
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
47.
TWO-STAGE SINTERING FURNACE AND METHODS OF OPERATING THEREOF
A sintering and debinding system includes a debinding chamber configured to switch between an open state and a closed state, the open state being configured to permit receipt or removal of at least one part within or from the debinding chamber and a sintering chamber operably connected to the debinding chamber and being vertically positioned above or below the debinding chamber. The sintering system also includes a shelf structure configured to receive the at least one part, the shelf structure being movable between the debinding chamber and the sintering chamber and a gate valve configured to switch between an open state and a closed state, the gate valve being configured to selectively permit or block fluid communication between the debinding chamber and the sintering chamber. The gate valve is configured such that: when the gate valve is in an open state, fluid communication between the debinding chamber and the sintering chamber is permitted and the shelf structure is movable between the debinding chamber and the sintering chamber. The gate valve is further configured such that, when the gate valve is in the closed state, fluid communication between the debinding chamber and sintering chamber is restricted, and at least one of: (i) movement of the shelf structure between the debinding chamber and the sintering chamber is restricted or (ii) the debinding chamber is configured to permit receipt within and removal of the at least one part from the debinding chamber.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27B 9/14 - Furnaces through which the charge is moved mechanically, e.g. of tunnel type; Similar furnaces in which the charge moves by gravity characterised by the means by which the charge is moved during treatment
F27B 17/00 - Furnaces of a kind not covered by any of groups
A furnace may include an outer wall defining a chamber, the chamber including an internal cavity configured to receive one or more parts, at least one heater positioned within the chamber, the at least one heater being configured to generate temperatures of at least about 800 degrees Celsius within the internal cavity, and a vacuum pump configured to apply a vacuum to at least a portion of the chamber. The furnace may also include at least one layer of inner insulation and at least one layer of outer insulation disposed outward of the inner insulation with respect to the chamber, the at least one layer of outer insulation being sealed with respect to the at least one layer of inner insulation.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
B33Y 40/20 - Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
Systems and methods are disclosed for forming a three-dimensional object using additive manufacturing. One method includes depositing a first amount of powder material onto a powder print bed of a printing system, spreading the first amount of powder material across the powder print bed to form a first layer, measuring a density of powder material within the powder print bed, and adjusting a parameter of the printing system based on the measured density of the powder material within the powder print bed.
B22F 10/37 - Process control of powder bed aspects, e.g. density
B29C 64/00 - Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B22F 10/00 - Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
Mold lock is remediated by performing a layer-by-layer, two-dimensional analysis to identify unconstrained removal paths for any support structure or material within each two-dimensional layer, and then ensuring that aligned draw paths are present for all adjacent layers, all as more specifically described herein. Where locking conditions are identified, a sequence of modification rules are then applied, such as by breaking support structures into multiple, independently removable pieces. By addressing mold lock as a series of interrelated two-dimensional geometric problems, and reserving three-dimensional remediation strategies for more challenging, complex mold lock conditions, substantial advantages can accrue in terms of computational speed and efficiency.
G05B 19/4099 - Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
B29C 64/40 - Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
B29C 64/386 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B28B 17/00 - SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER - Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
H04N 1/409 - Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression
B33Y 50/00 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
The present invention generally relates to compositions comprising a binder and a metal powder, and associated methods. Some compositions provided include a polymer and a metal powder. Some compositions provided include a binder formulation and a metal powder. The binder formulation generally includes a first liquid and a polymer. The binder formulation may be a solution. The polymer may include a nitrogen-containing repeat unit. The metal powder may include a noble metal. Some methods provided include combining a metal powder with a binder formulation. Methods provided include but are not limited to additive manufacturing processes and injection molding processes.
B22F 1/00 - Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 70/10 - Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
An apparatus, and corresponding method, feeds build material, in the form of rods, to a drive system in a three-dimensional (3D) printing system. The apparatus dispenses a rod to a media tray and into a first groove defined by a flipper arm. The flipper arm is in a substantially horizontal position supported by a bottom ridge of the media tray. The flipper arm is rotated away from the bottom ridge and toward a stopper coupled to the flipper arm and the media tray. The stopper defines a second groove. The apparatus deposits the rod into the drive system via a feed shaft formed by the first and second grooves of the flipper arm and stopper, respectively. The apparatus enables high-speed 3D printing using the rods by overcoming challenges in loading the rods due to brittleness of the rods.
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B29C 64/255 - Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
An improved additive manufacturing system for manufacturing metal parts by magnetohydrodynamic printing liquid metal. A monitoring system including at least one camera capturing light reflected from a strobe light source. Images of the droplets are captured during their jetting and analyzed to determine whether the jetting performance is meeting specifications. A nozzle of the system has a nozzle bottom and a nozzle stem extending outward therefrom on which a meniscus of liquid metal can form. The nozzle is cleaned by bringing a ceramic rod in the vicinity of the nozzle and jetting a bead of metal which is rotated against the nozzle to remove an amount of dross.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B22D 23/00 - Casting processes not provided for in groups
A camera assembly is employed in additive manufacturing to improve the fidelity of a printed object. The camera may scan the surface of a build plate of a 3D printer and an object as it is being printed to generate image data. The image data is processed to detect errors in the build plate or printed object. The printer compensates for the detected errors, which can including modifying the printer configuration and/or modifying the instructions for printing a given object. Using the updated configuration, subsequent objects may then be printed, under a corrected process, to produce an object with fidelity to an original object model.
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B22F 3/22 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor for producing castings from a slip
B33Y 70/00 - Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B29C 64/386 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
55.
Methods and systems for generatively designing assemblies of mechanical parts
Methods and systems are disclosed for generatively designing a model of an assembly of mechanical parts. One method includes receiving a first set of constraints for a first part; determining a spatial relationship between the first part and a second part; updating the first set of constraints for the first part based on at least the spatial relationship between the first part and the second part; updating a second set of constraints for the second part based on at least the updated first set up constraints and/or the spatial relationship between the first part and the second part; and generating a model for the first part based on the updated first set of constraints.
The devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are directed to spreader positioning techniques for consistent and rapid layer-by-layer fabrication of three-dimensional objects formed through binder jetting. For example, an additive manufacturing system may include a roller and a print carriage. In a layer-by-layer fabrication process, the roller may move in advance of the print carriage over a dimension of a volume to spread a respective layer of powder onto which the print carriage delivers a binder. Controlling the position of the roller may facilitate achieving consistent layer characteristics which, in turn, may facilitate fabrication of high quality parts.
B22F 12/00 - Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
A method of additive manufacturing using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) printing of liquid metal. A first current pulse is applied to a liquid metal in a nozzle to eject a droplet from a discharge orifice. A second current pulse is applied to the liquid metal in the nozzle to reduce an amplitude of the oscillations in a meniscus on the discharge orifice. The second current pulse can be either of an opposite or the same polarity as the first current pulse and is timed according to according to the oscillation.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B22F 10/85 - Data acquisition or data processing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
05 - Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary products
Goods & Services
Resin for use in 3D printing applications including medical
applications, dental applications, artificial teeth,
artificial gums, orthodontic application and vision-based
applications.
60.
SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR ACTUATION OF BUILD MATERIAL
An actuation method comprising applying a force to a first rod of build material disposed within an actuation volume. The first rod of build material may include at least one metal. The method may further comprise moving the first rod of build material in a direction substantially parallel to or substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the first rod of build material toward an extrusion head and loading a second rod of build material into the actuation volume. The second rod of build material may include at least one metal. A longitudinal axis of the second rod may be substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the first rod. The applying step and the moving step may be repeated for the second rod of build material.
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to binder jetting for forming three-dimensional parts having controlled, macroscopically inhomogeneous material composition. In general, a binder may be delivered to each layer of a plurality of layers of a powder of inorganic particles. An active component may be introduced, in a spatially controlled distribution, to at least one of the plurality of layers such that the binder, the powder of inorganic particles, and the active component, in combination, form an object. The object may be thermally processed into a three-dimensional part having a gradient of one or more physicochemical properties of a material at least partially formed from thermally processing the inorganic particles and the active component of the object.
B33Y 80/00 - Products made by additive manufacturing
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
C04B 35/565 - Shaped ceramic products characterised by their composition; Ceramic compositions; Processing powders of inorganic compounds preparatory to the manufacturing of ceramic products based on non-oxides based on carbides based on silicon carbide
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 70/10 - Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
B22F 12/55 - Two or more means for feeding material
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
C09D 11/38 - Inkjet printing inks characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes
C09D 11/54 - Inks based on two liquids, one liquid being the ink, the other liquid being a reaction solution, a fixer or a treatment solution for the ink
B22F 1/10 - Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material
B22F 12/33 - Platforms or substrates translatory in the deposition plane
Devices, systems, and methods are directed at spreading sequential layers of powder across a powder bed and applying energy to each layer to form a three-dimensional object. The powder can include granules including agglomerations of metallic particles to facilitate spreading the metallic particles in each layer. The energy can be directed to the powder to reflow the granules in each layer to bind the metallic particles in the layer to one another and to one or more adjacent layers to form the three-dimensional object. Thus, in general, the agglomeration of the metallic particles in the granules can overcome constraints associated with metallic particles that are of a size ordinarily unsuitable for flowing and/or a size that presents safety risks. By overcoming these constraints, the granules can improve formation of dense finished parts from a powder and can result in formation of unique microstructures in finished parts.
A method of developing a frequency map for an MHD jetting nozzle includes filling the MHD jetting nozzle with a liquid metal. The MHD jetting nozzle is excited with a series of jetting pulses delivered at a range of frequencies the vibration response of the MHD jetting nozzle and/or a meniscus of jetting material is measured.
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
64.
Nozzle Temperature Control Techniques for Magnetohydrodynamic Jetting of Metals in 3D Applications
A nozzle assembly for metal additive manufacturing using magnetohydrodynamic jetting. A nozzle defines a reservoir and a discharge region having a discharge orifice. A thick film heating system disposed on an exterior of the nozzle and including a first contact pad and a second contact pad connected by a heating pathway heats build material in the nozzle to a liquid state. A first electrode and a second electrode together configured to deliver an electrical current through the liquid build material in the discharge region while a magnet system delivers a magnetic field perpendicular the electrical current, thereby jetting liquid metal to form successive build layers.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
A method for fabricating an infiltrated object of a desired shape having a high volume fraction of infiltrant using an additively manufactured preform. Using an additive manufacturing technique, the preform is formed with graded macro-porosity. When infiltrated, the void volume of the macro-porosity is filled with infiltrant Optionally, the void volume may be varied across the profile of the object to create a gradient of mechanical properties in the infiltrated object.
Techniques and compositions are disclosed for three-dimensional printing with powder/binder systems including, but not limited to, metal injection molding powder materials, highly-filled polymer composites, and any other materials suitable for handling with various additive manufacturing techniques, and further suitable for subsequent debinding and thermal processing into a final object.
The devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are directed to powder spreading and binder distribution techniques for consistent and rapid layer-by-layer fabrication of three-dimensional objects formed through binder jetting. For example, a powder may be spread to form a layer along a volume defined by a powder box, a binder may be deposited along the layer to form a layer of a three-dimensional object, and the direction of spreading the layer and depositing the binder may be in a first direction and in a second direction, different from the first direction, thus facilitating rapid formation of the three-dimensional object with each passage of the print carriage over the volume. Powder delivery, powder spreading, thermal energy delivery, and combinations thereof, may facilitate consistently achieving quality standards as the rate of fabrication of the three-dimensional object is increased.
B22F 1/10 - Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material
B22F 3/16 - Both compacting and sintering in successive or repeated steps
B22F 3/18 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor by using pressure rollers
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B22F 12/00 - Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
B22F 10/85 - Data acquisition or data processing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
B22F 12/41 - Radiation means characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
B22F 12/47 - Radiation means with translatory movement parallel to the deposition plane
B22F 12/55 - Two or more means for feeding material
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to the use of nanoparticles for improving strength fabrication of three-dimensional objects formed through layer-by-layer process in which an ink is delivery of a binder delivered onto successive layers of a powder of inorganic particles in a powder bed. More specifically, nanoparticles of inorganic material can may be introduced into one or more layers of the metal powder in the powder bed and thermally processed to facilitate sinter necking, in the powder bed, of the metal particles forming the three-dimensional object. Such sinter necking in the powder bed can may improve strength of the three-dimensional objects being fabricated and, also or instead, can may reduce the likelihood of defects associated with subsequent processing of the three-dimensional objects (e.g., slumping and shrinking in a final sintering stage and/or inadequate densification of the final part).
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B33Y 80/00 - Products made by additive manufacturing
B22F 1/02 - Special treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working, to improve properties; Metallic powders per se, e.g. mixtures of particles of different composition comprising coating of the powder
B22F 7/02 - Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting of composite layers
C08G 81/02 - Macromolecular compounds obtained by interreacting polymers in the absence of monomers, e.g. block polymers at least one of the polymers being obtained by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
C09D 11/102 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions other than those only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds
C09D 11/106 - Printing inks based on artificial resins containing macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
Disclosed is a pumping system with reduced contamination. A vacuum pump system includes a mechanical vacuum pump mechanism within a hermetic pump that hermetically isolates the pump mechanism from ambient air. A pump inlet is hermetically sealed to the hermetic pump housing. A pump outlet is hermetically sealed at one end to the hermetic pump housing and at the other end to an inlet of a Peclet seal tube. The vacuum pump system produces a vacuum in a vacuum processing chamber. A sweep gas source injects a sweep gas into at least one of (i) the hermetic pump housing and (ii) the inlet of the Peclet seal tube. The sweep gas and a process gas flow through the Peclet seal tube to substantially isolate against the backflow of the ambient air through the Peclet seal tube.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
70.
THERMAL DEBINDING TECHNIQUES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to coated powder for three dimensional additive manufacturing. The powder may include a first material coated with a second material, with the coating advantageously resisting segregation of the first material and the second material during handling processes associated with fabrication. The reduced segregation of the first material and the second material may facilitate forming finished three-dimensional parts with improved homogeneity of microstructures and, thus, improved physicochemical properties. More generally, the reduced segregation of the first material and the second material achievable through coating the first material with the second material may facilitate binder jet fabrication using a wider array of combinations of first material and second material as compared to binder jet fabrication using mixtures of constituent powders of the first material and the second material.
B22F 1/02 - Special treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working, to improve properties; Metallic powders per se, e.g. mixtures of particles of different composition comprising coating of the powder
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
B22F 10/62 - Treatment of workpieces or articles after build-up by chemical means
B22F 1/00 - Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 70/10 - Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
B33Y 80/00 - Products made by additive manufacturing
72.
Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts via rapid pressure change and related systems and methods
Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts are described in which powder is separated from parts by creating a large pressure differential between the powder and parts and a nearby location. The pressure differential may cause gas to quickly flow into and/or around the powder and parts, thereby producing a force against the powder and parts. Since the powder is generally much lighter than the parts, this force may be much more effective at moving the powder than moving the parts. As a result, the powder and parts may be separated from one another. The pressure differential may be created in various ways, such as by holding the parts and part in a chamber that is pressurized with air and/or other gas(es). Rapid depressurization of the chamber may produce the aforementioned pressure differential, leading to powder movement away from the parts.
Systems, methods, components, and materials are disclosed for stereolithographic fabrication of three-dimensional, dense objects. A resin including at least one component of a binder system and dispersed particles can be exposed to an activation light source. The activation light source can cure the at least one component of the binder system to form a green object, which can include the at least one component of the binder system and the particles. A dense object can be formed from the green object by removing the at least one component of the binder system in an extraction process and thermally processing particles to coalesce into the dense object.
B29C 64/124 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 70/10 - Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
G03F 7/00 - Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printed surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
C04B 35/01 - Shaped ceramic products characterised by their composition; Ceramic compositions; Processing powders of inorganic compounds preparatory to the manufacturing of ceramic products based on oxides
B22F 1/10 - Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material
B22F 10/12 - Formation of a green body by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP]
B22F 10/50 - Treatment of workpieces or articles during build-up, e.g. treatments applied to fused layers during build-up
A61L 27/46 - Composite materials, i.e. layered or containing one material dispersed in a matrix of the same or different material having a macromolecular matrix with phosphorus-containing inorganic fillers
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/135 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
B22F 7/04 - Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting of composite layers with one or more layers not made from powder, e.g. made from solid metal
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
B22F 7/08 - Manufacture of composite layers, workpieces, or articles, comprising metallic powder, by sintering the powder, with or without compacting of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools with one or more parts not made from powder
B33Y 80/00 - Products made by additive manufacturing
B82Y 30/00 - Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
B82Y 40/00 - Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
C22C 9/06 - Alloys based on copper with nickel or cobalt as the next major constituent
C22C 19/03 - Alloys based on nickel or cobalt based on nickel
B22F 12/90 - Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
B22F 10/64 - Treatment of workpieces or articles after build-up by thermal means
B22F 1/102 - Metallic powder coated with organic material
G03F 7/027 - Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds
Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts are described. The techniques utilize various mechanisms to separate powder from parts. For instance, techniques for depowdering described herein may include fabrication of auxiliary structures in addition to fabrication of parts. Certain auxiliary structures may aid with depowdering operations, and may be fabricated along with parts during an additive fabrication process. The auxiliary structures may be shaped and/or have positional and/or geometrical relationships to the parts during fabrication. For instance, an auxiliary structure may include a cage structure fabricated around one or more parts.
A method for binder jetting a three-dimensional (3D) object includes receiving a geometry of the object to be printed and generating instructions for printing the object. Generating the instructions includes slicing the geometry of the object into a series of cross-sectional shapes corresponding to where a binder fluid will be deposited onto a powder bed to form the object, and including a plurality of negatively printed features within at least some of the series of cross-sectional shapes, wherein an amount of binder fluid to be deposited in the negatively printed features is less than an amount of binder fluid to be deposited in a remainder of the cross-sectional shape. The amount of binder fluid to be deposited in the negatively printed features and a size of the negatively printed features is configured to allow gas to escape from the powder bed.
Methods provide for fabricating objects through additive manufacturing in a manner that compensates for deformations introduced during post-print processing, such as sintering. An initial model may be divided into a plurality of segments, the initial model defining geometry of an object. For each of the segments, modified geometry may be calculated, where the modified geometry compensates for a predicted deformation. Print parameters can then be updated to incorporate the modified geometry, where the print parameters define geometry of the printed object (e.g., configuration settings of the printer, a tool path, an object model). The object may then be printed based on the updated print parameters.
41 - Education, entertainment, sporting and cultural services
Goods & Services
Provision of in-person and online classes, seminars, workshops and training for individuals and companies on 3D printing systems, materials and applications; provision of virtual and online classes, seminars, workshops and training for individuals and companies on 3D printing systems, materials and applications
An additive manufacturing method includes depositing a first amount of metal powder onto a powder bed of a printing system, spreading the first amount of metal powder across the powder bed to form a first layer, and depositing a first amount of binder material on the first layer. The additive manufacturing method also includes exposing the first layer to a first lighting condition, imaging the first layer under the first lighting condition to generate a first image, analyzing the first image of the first layer, and determining whether to adjust at least one printing parameter based on the analyzing.
Methods of additive manufacturing using noble metals and/or copper metal, and binder compositions for use during the additive manufacturing methods, are generally described. In some instances, the methods of additive manufacturing include de-binding (and in some cases sintering steps) that afford metal-based composites, de-bound metal structures, and metal objects containing noble metals (e.g., silver, gold, platinum) and/or copper that have improved properties, such as relatively high densities. In certain aspects, combinations of certain metal powders (e.g., noble metal and/or copper powders) with certain binder compositions may result in improved properties of resulting metal objects produced by the additive manufacturing process, such as relatively low surface roughnesses. The binder compositions described may include a low molecular weight polymer (e.g., including an acrylic acid repeat unit) and, in some cases, a cross-linking agent.
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
In part, the disclosure relates to systems and methods of layer-by-layer assembly of composite structures such as for parts or workpieces. Various additive and subtractive processes can be used. In various embodiments, prepreg tapes that include continuous reinforcing fibers are used. In one aspect, a system that includes printer heads is provided. The printer heads may, in some embodiments, be used for manufacturing high quality continuous fiber reinforced structural parts. In some embodiments, the system includes a first printer head configured to lay down tape (e.g., a thermoplastic tape that includes reinforcing fibers).
B29C 64/118 - Processes of additive manufacturing using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
B29C 33/38 - SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING - Details thereof or accessories therefor characterised by the material or the manufacturing process
B29C 64/194 - Processes of additive manufacturing involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control during lay-up
B29C 70/34 - Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core and shaping or impregnating by compression
B29C 70/38 - Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
85.
Managing powder mobility in binder jetting for additive manufacturing
Devices, systems, and methods are directed to the use of vapor phase change in binder jetting processes for forming three-dimensional objects. In general, a vapor of a first fluid may be directed to a layer of a powder spread across a build volume. The vapor may condense to reduce mobility of the particles of the powder of the layer. For example, the condensing vapor may reduce the likelihood of particle ejection from the layer and, thus, may reduce the likelihood of clogging or otherwise degrading a printhead used to jet a second fluid (e.g., a binder) to the layer. Further, or instead, the condensing vapor may increase the density of the powder in the layer which, when repeated over a plurality of layers forming a three-dimensional object, may reduce the likelihood of slumping of the part during sintering.
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B29C 64/20 - Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
B22F 12/00 - Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
B22F 10/00 - Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
A system and corresponding method for additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional (3D) object to improve packing density of a powder bed used in the manufacturing process. The system and corresponding method enable higher density packing of the powder. Such higher density packing leads to better mechanical interlocking of particles, leading to lower sintering temperatures and reduced deformation of the 3D object during sintering. An embodiment of the system comprises means for adjusting a volume of a powder metered onto a top surface of the powder bed to produce an adjusted metered volume and means for spreading the adjusted metered volume to produce a smooth volume for forming a smooth layer of the powder with controlled packing density across the top surface of the powder bed. The controlled packing density enables uniform shrinkage, without warping, of the 3D object during sintering to produce higher quality 3D printed objects.
B22F 1/00 - Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties
B22F 3/18 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor by using pressure rollers
B22F 3/16 - Both compacting and sintering in successive or repeated steps
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B22F 3/24 - After-treatment of workpieces or articles
H05K 3/10 - Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
B29C 64/236 - Driving means for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer
B29C 64/194 - Processes of additive manufacturing involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control during lay-up
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
H05K 3/12 - Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern using printing techniques to apply the conductive material
B22F 12/00 - Apparatus or devices specially adapted for additive manufacturing; Auxiliary means for additive manufacturing; Combinations of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
87.
THERMAL DEBINDING TECHNIQUES FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.
Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.
B22F 10/64 - Treatment of workpieces or articles after build-up by thermal means
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
89.
Systems and methods for powder recovery, cleaning, and blending, for additive manufacturing
A method of recycling build material powder including collecting in a keg an amount of excess build material powder during the additive manufacturing of a part cake. The part cake and keg are transferred to a de-powdering station. The part cake is de-powdered to release a mixture of reusable powder and contaminants. The mixture is sieved to remove the contaminants and deposit the reusable powder to the keg.
B33Y 40/00 - Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B07B 9/00 - Combinations of apparatus for screening or sifting or for separating solids from solids using gas currents; General arrangement of plant, e.g. flow sheets
Methods of additive manufacturing, binder compositions for additive manufacturing, and articles produced by and/or associated with methods of additive manufacturing are generally described.
B22F 10/14 - Formation of a green body by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
A method of maintaining part geometry fidelity during infiltration of a metallic preform. The preform and an infiltration barrier are formed, either independently or together during an additive manufacturing process. The infiltration barrier prevents infiltrant from bleeding out from the preform where it is present, thus protecting fine geometries that would otherwise be filled with infiltrant.
An additive manufacturing system, and corresponding method, prints a sacrificial component using a 3D printing system that includes a spreading mechanism for spreading unbound powder to form layers of a powder bed and a printing mechanism for jetting binder fluid into the unbound powder to form the sacrificial component. The system forms the sacrificial component with a feature that provides a resistive force to a shear force imposed by the spreading mechanism during the spreading. The system prints a part with the 3D printing system in a coupled arrangement with the sacrificial component. The coupled arrangement in combination with the resistive force is sufficient to immobilize each printed layer of the part to resist the shear force imposed by the spreading mechanism during spreading of the unbound powder above each printed layer of the part. After printing, and before or after post-processing, the part and sacrificial component are separated.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
B33Y 50/02 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/393 - Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/165 - Processes of additive manufacturing using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
B28B 1/00 - Producing shaped articles from the material
B28B 11/24 - Apparatus or processes for treating or working the shaped articles for curing, setting or hardening
B28B 17/00 - SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER - Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping
95.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING ARCING IN VACUUM OR PARTIAL VACUUM FURNACE USING DC POWER
A sintering furnace may include a furnace chamber and a retort located within the furnace chamber that receives a part to be heated. The furnace may also include one or more heating elements positioned around the retort and a power controller including power modules connected in series. The power modules may be operably connected to the one or more heating elements and may provide a direct current (DC) power output. A controller may selectively control the power modules to supply power to the one or more heating elements.
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
05 - Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary products
Goods & Services
Dental resin for use in 3D printing applications for dental applications, specifically for use in making artificial teeth and artificial gums and for use in orthodontic applications for making temporary bridges, crowns and veneers
A compound sintering furnace with managed contamination for debinding and sintering parts. An inner insulation layer is disposed within an outer insulation layer and has an internal hot face surrounding a work zone. A sealed housing surrounds the inner insulation layer and is composed of a refractory material capable of withstanding a service temperature greater than a debinding temperature and less than a sintering temperature. An outer heater system is configured to heat at least a portion of the sealed housing and externally heat the inner insulation layer to, in conjunction with an inner heater system, heat the work zone to the debinding temperature, and inhibit condensation of a binder within and upon the inner insulation layer during a debinding process. The inner heater system is configured to internally heat the inner insulation and heat the work zone to the sintering temperature.
B22F 3/00 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
F27B 5/04 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated adapted for treating the charge in vacuum or special atmosphere
B22F 3/22 - Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor for producing castings from a slip
F27D 7/02 - Supplying steam, vapour, gases, or liquids
F27B 5/06 - Muffle furnaces; Retort furnaces; Other furnaces in which the charge is held completely isolated - Details, accessories, or equipment peculiar to furnaces of these types
F27D 1/18 - Door frames; Doors, lids, removable covers
98.
Method for forming 3D printed objects with multi-layer rafts which optimize shrinkage
Systems and methods for forming an object using additive manufacturing. One method includes receiving a digital model of the object, predicting a shrinking characteristic or receiving a predicted shrinking characteristic of the object that will occur during thermal processing of the object, once formed, and generating, based on the shrinking characteristic of the object, instructions for forming a raft on which the object will be formed. The instructions for forming the raft are configured to form a raft having a shrinking characteristic that reflects the shrinking characteristic of the object.
Techniques for depowdering in additive fabrication are provided. According to some aspects, techniques are provided that separate powder from additively fabricated parts through liquid immersion of the parts. Motion of the liquid, such as liquid currents, may dislodge or otherwise move powder away from additively fabricated parts to which it is adhered or otherwise proximate to. The liquid may also provide a vehicle to carry away powder from the additively fabricated parts. Removed powder may be filtered or otherwise separated from the liquid to allow recirculation of the liquid to the parts and/or to enable re-use of the powder in subsequent additive fabrication processes. Techniques for depowdering through liquid immersion may be automated, thereby mitigating challenges associated with manual depowdering operations.
B22F 3/24 - After-treatment of workpieces or articles
B33Y 40/20 - Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
B08B 3/10 - Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration
B08B 3/04 - Cleaning involving contact with liquid
B08B 3/12 - Cleaning involving contact with liquid with additional treatment of the liquid or of the object being cleaned, e.g. by heat, by electricity or by vibration by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations
B08B 3/14 - Removing waste, e.g. labels, from cleaning liquid
B22F 10/00 - Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder
100.
Techniques for depowdering additively fabricated parts through vibratory motion and related systems and methods
Techniques for depowdering in additive fabrication are provided. According to some aspects, techniques are provided that separate powder from parts through vibration of the powder, the parts, and/or structures mechanically connected to the powder and/or parts. For instance, the application of vibration may dislodge, aerate and/or otherwise increase the flowability of regions of the powder, thereby making it easier to remove the powder with a suitable means. Techniques for depowdering through vibration may be automated, thereby mitigating challenges associated with manual depowdering operations.
B33Y 30/00 - ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - Details thereof or accessories therefor
