Magnetic field control for magnetohydrodynamic metal manufacturing
First Claim
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1. A nozzle for jetting liquid metal, the nozzle comprising:
- a housing defining a at least a portion of a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber having an inlet region and a discharge region;
one or more magnets disposed relative to the housing with a magnetic field of the magnet extending through the housing; and
electrodes defining at least a portion of a firing chamber within the fluid chamber between the inlet region and the discharge region, wherein electric current conducted between the electrodes intersects the magnetic field in the liquid metal in the firing chamber to eject liquid metal from the discharge region; and
a thermal insulation layer disposed between at least one of the one or more magnets and the housing, the thermal insulation layer having a thermal conductivity less than a thermal conductivity of a portion of the housing upon which the insulation layer is mounted, and wherein the thermal insulation layer is held in place by a magnetic force exerted on the housing by the magnet.
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Abstract
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. Magnets used to form the magnetohydrodynamic forces are thermally managed to facilitate directing strong magnetic fields into liquid metals at high temperatures. Such strong magnetic fields can be useful for imparting, under otherwise equivalent conditions, higher magnetohydrodynamic forces to liquid metal being ejected from a nozzle to form an object.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A nozzle for jetting liquid metal, the nozzle comprising:
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a housing defining a at least a portion of a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber having an inlet region and a discharge region; one or more magnets disposed relative to the housing with a magnetic field of the magnet extending through the housing; and electrodes defining at least a portion of a firing chamber within the fluid chamber between the inlet region and the discharge region, wherein electric current conducted between the electrodes intersects the magnetic field in the liquid metal in the firing chamber to eject liquid metal from the discharge region; and a thermal insulation layer disposed between at least one of the one or more magnets and the housing, the thermal insulation layer having a thermal conductivity less than a thermal conductivity of a portion of the housing upon which the insulation layer is mounted, and wherein the thermal insulation layer is held in place by a magnetic force exerted on the housing by the magnet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
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providing a liquid metal in a fluid chamber at least partially defined by a housing, the fluid chamber having an inlet region and a discharge region; heating the liquid metal to a temperature greater than a temperature associated with loss of magnetic field strength of at least one magnet coupled to the housing through a thermal insulation layer; delivering electric current into the heated liquid metal between electrodes defining a firing chamber within the fluid chamber between the inlet region and the discharge region; and directing a magnetic field from the at least one magnet into the heated liquid metal in the firing chamber, the magnetic field intersecting the electric current in the firing chamber to eject the liquid metal from the discharge region; and wherein the thermal insulation layer is held in place through a magnetic force between the at least one magnet and the housing. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification