3-D Printing of near net shape products

• US 20100279007A1
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Penn State Research Foundation (Pennsylvania State University), Storm Development, LLC
• Original Assignee: Penn State Research Foundation (Pennsylvania State University), Storm Development, LLC
• Inventors: Briselden, Thomas D., Reilly, Thomas M., Forsman, David R.
• Application Number:
  US12/228,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20100279007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/243
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/16 by embedding the binder within the powder bed
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/38 to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/00 Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material using presses B28B3/00; shaping on moving conveyors B28B5/00; producing tubular articles B28B21/00 ; producing articles with embedded elements B28B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/465 Applying setting liquid to dry mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3463 Alumino-silicates other than clay, e.g. mullite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3817 Carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3826 Silicon carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3843 Titanium carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/402 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/404 Refractory metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/428 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/48 Organic compounds becoming part of a ceramic after heat treatment, e.g. carbonising phenol resins
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5427 millimeter or submillimeter sized, i.e. larger than 0,1 mm
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5436 micrometer sized, i.e. from 1 to 100 micron
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5472 Bimodal, multi-modal or multi-fraction
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6026 Computer aided shaping, e.g. rapid prototyping
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6581 Total pressure below 1 atmosphere, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/80 Phases present in the sintered or melt-cast ceramic products other than the main phase
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/10 based on aluminium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/117 : Composites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/185 : Mullite 3Al2O3-2SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/484 : Refractories by fusion casting
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/56 : based on carbides or oxycarbides containing free metal binder C22C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/565 : based on silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/573 : obtained by reaction sintering or recrystallisation
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/58071 : based on titanium borides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/584 : based on silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6269 : Curing of mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/632 : Organic additives
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/634 : Polymers C04B35/636 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/636 : Polysaccharides or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/65 : Reaction sintering of free metal- or free silicon-containing compositions C04B35/573, C04B35/591 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/00 : Porous mortars, concrete, artificial stone or ceramic ware; Preparation thereof treating slag with gases or gas generating material C04B5/06 ; expanded graphite C04B35/536
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/009 : characterised by the material treated
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/4515 : application under vacuum or reduced pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/4523 : applied from the molten state vitreous materials C04B41/5022; Thermal spraying, e.g. plasma spraying
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/4578 : Coating or impregnating of green ceramics or unset concrete
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/5096 : Silicon C04B35/573 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/5155 : Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 41/88 : Metals
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 32/00 : Non-ferrous alloys containing at least 5% by weight but less than 50% by weight of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides, sulfides, whether added as such or formed in situ
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

The disclosed method relates to manufacture of a near net-shaped products such as ceramic containing products such as ceramic-metal composites. The method entails forming a mixture of a build material and a binder and depositing that mixture onto a surface to produce a layer of the mixture. An activator fluid then is applied to at least one selected region of the layer to bond the binder to the build material to yield a shaped pattern. These steps may be repeated to produce a porous whitebody that is heat treated to yield a porous greenbody preform having a porosity of about 30% to about 70%. The greenbody then is impregnated with a molten material such as molten metal. Where the build material is SiC, the molten metal employed is Si to generate a SiC—Si composite.

Claims

1. A method of manufacture of a near net-shaped product comprising,

mixing a build material and a binder for the build material to produce a mixture of build material and binder,

depositing in a first step the mixture of build material and binder onto a surface to produce a layer of the mixture of build material and binder,

applying in a second step an activator fluid to at least one selected region of the layer of build material and binder,

drying the activator fluid to bond the binder to the build material in the selected region to yield a whitebody having a shaped pattern,

treating the whitebody to further set the binder to yield a porous greenbody preform having a porosity of about 30% to about 70%,

contacting the porous greenbody with a molten material for impregnating the porous greenbody preform.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second steps are repeated to produce a porous, whitebody preform having a thickness of more than about one mm.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the build material is selected from the group consisting of ceramics, metals and mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the build material is a ceramic selected from the group consisting of aluminates, aluminosilicates, borides, carbides, chlorides, glasses, hydroxides, oxides, nitrides, sulfates, silicides and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the build material is a metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, brass, bismuth, beryllium, chromium, copper, gold, iron, magnesium, nickel, platinum, silicon, silver, stainless steel, steel, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the ceramic is SiC.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the binder material is selected from group consisting of water-soluble binders, organic solvent soluble binders and mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the binder is sugar, the activator fluid is water and the molten material is Si.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the greenbody has a porosity of about 45% to about 55%.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the binder is a water soluble binder selected from the group consisting of acrylates, carbohydrates, glycols, proteins, salts, sugars, sugar alcohols, waxes and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the binder is a organic solvent soluble binder selected from the group consisting of urethanes, polyamides, polyesters, ethylene vinyl acetates, paraffin, styreneisoprene-isoprene copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers, ethylene ethyl acrylate copolymers, polyoctenamers, polycaprolactones, alkyl celluloses, hydroxyalkyl celluloses, polyethylene/polyolefin copolymers, amaleic anhydride grafted polyethylenes or polyolefins, anoxidized polyethylenes, urethane derivitized oxidized polyethylenes, and thermosetting resins.

12. A method of manufacture of a near net-shaped ceramic-metal composite product comprising,

mixing a build material and a binder for the build material to produce a mixture of build material and binder,

depositing in a first step the mixture of build material and binder onto a surface to produce a layer of the mixture of build material and binder,

applying in a second step an activator fluid to at least one selected region of the layer of build material and binder,

drying the activator fluid to bond the binder to the build material in the selected region to yield a whitebody having a shaped pattern,

treating the whitebody to further set the binder to yield a porous greenbody preform having a porosity of about 30% to about 70%,

contacting the porous greenbody with powdered metal to form an assembly,

heating the assembly to a temperature sufficient to melt the metal so as to cause molten metal to infiltrate the porous greenbody to yield a metal-impregnated preform, and

cooling the metal-impregnated preform to generate a near net-shaped ceramic metal composite.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the build material is selected from the group consisting of ceramics, metals and mixtures thereof.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the build material is a ceramic selected from the group consisting of aluminates, aluminosilicates, borides, carbides, chlorides, glasses, hydroxides, oxides, nitrides, sulfates, silicides and mixtures thereof.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the build material is a metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, brass, bismuth, beryllium, chromium, copper, gold, iron, magnesium, nickel, platinum, silicon, silver, stainless steel, steel, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium and mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the build material is SiC.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the binder material is selected from group consisting of water-soluble binders, organic solvent soluble binders and mixtures thereof.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the binder is sugar, the activator fluid is liquid water and the metal is Si.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the greenbody has a porosity of about 45% to about 55%.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the binder is a water soluble binder selected from the group consisting of acrylates, carbohydrates, glycols, proteins, salts, sugars, sugar alcohols, waxes and combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the binder is a organic solvent soluble binder selected from the group consisting of urethanes, polyamides, polyesters, ethylene vinyl acetates, paraffin, styreneisoprene-isoprene copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers, ethylene ethyl acrylate copolymers, polyoctenamers, polycaprolactones, alkyl celluloses, hydroxyalkyl celluloses, polyethylene/polyolefin copolymers, amaleic anhydride grafted polyethylenes or polyolefins, anoxidized polyethylenes, urethane derivitized oxidized polyethylenes, and thermosetting resins.

22. A method of manufacture of a near net-shaped siliconized-silicon carbide composite product comprising,

mixing SiC and sugar to produce a build material mixture,

depositing in a first step the build material mixture onto a surface to produce a layer of build material mixture,

applying in a second step an activator fluid in the form of water to at least one selected region of the layer of build material mixture,

drying the activator fluid to bond the sugar to the SiC in the selected region to yield a whitebody having a shaped pattern,

treating the whitebody to further set the binder to yield a porous greenbody preform having a porosity of about 30% to about 70%,

contacting the porous greenbody with an amount of powdered Si to form an assembly wherein the amount of Si contacting the porous greenbody is equal to Si=1.41-0.08 ln [SiC] wherein [SiC] represents the weight of the SiC greenbody,

firing the assembly under vacuum to cause molten Si to infiltrate the porous greenbody to yield Si-impregnated SiC, and

cooling the metal-impregnated greenbody to generate a near net-shaped Si—

SiC composite.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the water is in the form of steam.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the firing is performed at 1650°

C.