Metallic parts fabrication using selective inhibition of sintering (SIS)
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- providing a layer of a metal powder;
sinter-inhibiting one or more regions in the layer;
repeating said providing and sinter-inhibiting for a plurality of layers;
compacting the plurality of layers to form a compact;
sintering the compact; and
removing one or more sintered sections at a boundary formed by the sinter-inhibited regions in the compact.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A selective inhibition of sintering (SIS) technique may be used to fabricate a three-dimensional (3-D) dense metal object from a binderless metal powder. A number of layers of metal powder are provided on a build tank. For each layer, regions of the layer are sinter-inhibited, e.g., by depositing a sinter-inhibiting material such as a ceramic slurry, a metal salt, or oxidizing metal particles in the powder using chemicals or a concentrated heat source. Each layer may be compacted before the next layer is provided. A final compact may then be sintered. Unwanted sintered sections may be removed from the compact at boundaries formed by the sinter-inhibited (unsintered) regions, and the object extracted.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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providing a layer of a metal powder;
sinter-inhibiting one or more regions in the layer;
repeating said providing and sinter-inhibiting for a plurality of layers;
compacting the plurality of layers to form a compact;
sintering the compact; and
removing one or more sintered sections at a boundary formed by the sinter-inhibited regions in the compact. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A system comprising:
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means for spreading a plurality of layers of a metal powder;
a press to compress said layers;
means for sinter-inhibiting one or more regions in a plurality of said layers; and
a furnace to sinter the metal powder in a compact formed from said plurality of layers. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method comprising:
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providing a layer of a metal powder;
sinter-inhibiting one or more regions in the layer;
compacting the layer;
sintering metal powder in the layer;
repeating said providing, sinter-inhibiting, compacting, and sintering for a plurality of layers; and
removing one or more sintered sections at a boundary formed by the sinter-inhibited regions in the compact. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40)
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Specification