One-step rapid manufacturing of metal and composite parts

• US 20010002287A1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Published: 05/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Central Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Central Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Kar, Aravinda, Sankaranarayanan, Srikanth, Kahlen, Franz-Josef
• Granted Patent: US 6,526,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/554
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/25 Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/322 of the gas flow, e.g. rate or direction
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/33 translatory in the deposition plane
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/41 characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/44 characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/53 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/57 Metering means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/58 for changing the material composition, e.g. by mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/622 Forming processes; Processing powders of inorganic compounds preparatory to the manufacturing of ceramic products
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 26/02 applying molten material to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/12 characterised by the method of spraying
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A one-step rapid manufacturing process is used to create three dimensional prototyping parts. Material such as metal, ceramics and the like powder, and wire, and the like, is delivered to a laser beam-material interaction region where it is melted and deposited on a substrate. The melted and deposited material is placed on a XYZ workstation. Three dimensional parts are created by moving the XYZ workstation relative to the laser beam while simultaneously feeding powdered alloys, first in the XY and then in the Z plane. Beam shaping focussing optics can be used to tailor the intensity distribution of the laser beam to the requirements of the deposition layers, and can be used to create parts with desired mechanical or thermodynamic properties. Additional beam splitting and recombining optics can be used to allow powder to be fed at a perpendicular angle to the substrate.

Claims

1. A one-step/method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts from metal and composite parts, comprising the steps of:

(a) focussing a high power laser beam into a spot location;

(b) feeding material powder into the spot location coaxially to the laser beam;

(c) forming a first deposition layer by directly melting the material powder with the laser beam on a surface supported by an XYZ workstage platform that translates in the XY plane direction; and

(d) forming a second deposition layer on top of the first deposition layer with steps (a) and (b) and by displacing the XYZ workstage platform in the Z plane direction, wherein steps (a), (b), and (c) are used to determine length, width, and thickness of each layer in order to form selected fabricated 3-D parts.

2. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, further comprising the step of:

controlling steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) with a computer.

3. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, wherein the laser beam of step (a) is:

a CO₂ laser.

4. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, wherein the material powder of step (b) includes:

an alloy material formed from two different material powders.

5. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 4

, wherein the alloy material includes:

stainless steel powder and copper powder.

6. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 4

, wherein the alloy material includes:

aluminum powder and copper powder.

7. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 4

, wherein the alloy material includes:

titanium powder and copper powder.

8. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 4

, wherein the alloy material includes:

titanium powder and aluminum powder.

9. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 4

, wherein the alloy material includes:

stainless steel powder and aluminum powder.

10. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, further comprising the step of:

providing a shield gas to the laser beam to prevent oxidation in the directly melted material powder.

11. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 10

, wherein the shield gas is chosen from at least one of:

argon gas, nitrogen gas and helium gas.

12. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, further comprising the steps of:

providing a carrier gas to deliver the material powder to the spot location.

13. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3D) parts of

claim 12

, wherein the carrier gas is further used as a shield gas at the first deposition layer and the second deposition layer.

14. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, wherein the laser beam of step (a) is:

a Nd;

YAG laser.

15. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, wherein step (a) further includes:

an adaptive optic for focussing the high beam power laser; and

a fiber optic cable and output coupler.

31. The one-step method of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts of

claim 1

, wherein the material powder of step (b) includes:

ceramic material.

16. A one-step system of fabricating three dimensional (3-D) parts from metal and composite parts, comprising:

a laser for forming a high power beam into a spot location;

means for feeding material powder into the spot location coaxially to the laser beam;

an XYZ translation support means for forming forming plural deposition layers having different thicknesses, from the laser beam and the material powder; and

a computer for controlling the laser, the material powder feeding means and the XYZ translation support means in order to form selected fabricated 3-D parts in one step.

17. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the laser beam includes

a continuous wave CO₂ laser with a shutter, and beam delivery optics and beam focussing optics, wherein the laser shutter, the beam delivery optics and the beam focussing optics are separately and simultaneously controlled by the computer.

18. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the laser beam includes:

a Nd;

YAG laser with a shutter connected to an fiber optic cable and output coupler, and beam delivery optics and beam focussing optics, wherein the laser shutter, the optic cable, the output coupler, the beam delivery optics and the beam focussing optics are separately and simultaneously controlled by the computer.

19. The one-step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

a carrier gas supply having an adjustable flow rate for delivering the material powder to the spot location, wherein the carrier supply and the flow rate are separately and simultaneously controlled by the computer.

20. The one-step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

a shield gas supply having an adjustable flow rate for being applied to the laser beam to prevent oxidation in the directly melted material powder, wherein the shield gas supply and flow rate are separately and simultaneously controlled by the computer.

21. The one-step system of

claim 20

, wherein the shield gas is chosen from at least one of:

argon gas, nitrogen gas and helium gas.

22. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the material powder includes:

stainless steel powder and copper powder.

23. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the material powder includes:

stainless steel powder and aluminum powder.

24. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the material powder includes at least two powders chosen from at least one of:

niobium, titanium, steels, tool steels, copper, tungsten, aluminum, nickel, alloys thereof, ceramics, and cermets.

25. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the laser can be chosen from at least one of:

a Nd-based solid state laser and a diode laser.

26. The one-step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

lens means for beam shaping the laser to tailor intensity distribution of the laser beam for the deposition layers.

27. The one-step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

reflective and refractive means for beam shaping the laser to form pre-selected mechanical and thermodynamic properties in the selected fabricated 3-D parts by heating the deposition layers.

28. The one-step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

means for splitting the laser beam into at least two angled beams each of which is not perpendicular to a substrate at the spot location; and

a perpendicular delivery means for feeding the metal powder at an angle of approximately 90 degrees to the substrate, wherein the metal powder is delivered in between the two angled beams; and

means for recombining the two angled beams at the spot location on the substrate.

29. The one step system of

claim 16

, further comprising:

means for performing surface alloying on metal components.

30. The one-step system of

claim 16

, wherein the material powder includes:

ceramic powder.