PROCESS FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF PARTS BY MELTING OR SINTERING PARTICLES OF POWDER(S) USING A HIGH-ENERGY BEAM WITH POWDERS ADAPTED TO THE TARGETED PROCESS/MATERIAL PAIR

• US 20160175929A1
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Safran Aircraft Engine Company
• Original Assignee: Airbus Helicopters, European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS France (Airbus SE), Snecma (Safran SA)
• Inventors: KIRSCHNER, Laetitia, COLIN, Christophe
• Granted Patent: US 10,710,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/052 characterised by a mixture of particles of different sizes or by the particle size distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/065 Spherical particles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/148 Agglomerating
• 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 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/34 of powder characteristics, e.g. density, oxidation or flowability
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/44 characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/53 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2009/041 by mechanical alloying, e.g. blending, milling
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/04 starting from solid material, e.g. by crushing, grinding or milling C22C1/1084 takes precedence; crushing, grinding or milling, in general, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B02C
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/082 atomising using a fluid using centrifugal force B22F9/10
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• 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: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/10 Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5296 with a defined aspect ratio, e.g. indicating sphericity
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5463 Particle size distributions
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/5481 Monomodal
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/665 Local sintering, e.g. laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62839 : Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/71 : Ceramic products containing macroscopic reinforcing agents C04B35/66 takes precedence ; infiltration of a porous ceramic matrix with a material forming a non-ceramic phase C04B41/00, reaction infiltration with Si in order to form SiC C04B35/573, in order to form Si3N4 C04B35/591
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/047 : comprising intermetallic compounds C22C1/0441 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 33/0207 : Using a mixture of prealloyed powders or a master alloy mixtures of metal powder in general B22F1/09
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 33/0257 : characterised by the range of the alloying elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

A method of fabricating parts out of metallic, intermetallic, ceramic, ceramic matrix composite, or metal matrix composite material with discontinuous reinforcement, includes melting or sintering powder particles by means of a high-energy beam. The powder used is a single powder of particles that present sphericity lying in the range 0.8 to 1.0 and of form factor lying in the range 1 to √2, each powder particle presenting substantially identical mean composition, and the grain size distribution of the particles of the powder is narrowed around the mean diameter value d50% in such a manner that: (d90%−d50%)/d50%≦0.66; and (d50%−d10%)/d50%≦0.33; with a “span”: (d90%−d10%)/d50%≦1.00.

Claims

1. :

A method of fabricating a part out of a material with discontinuous reinforcement, the method comprising;

melting or sintering powder particles via a high-energy beam,

wherein

the material is a metallic, intermetallic, ceramic, ceramic matrix composite, or a metal matrix composite material,

the powder particles have substantially identical mean composition, a sphericity of from 0.8 to 1.0, a form factor of from 1 to √

2, and a grain size distribution narrowed around a mean diameter value d_50% in such a manner that;

(d_90%−

d_50%)/d_50%≦

0.66,

(d_50%−

d_10%)/d_50%≦

0.33, and

(d_90%−

d_10%)/d_50%≦

1.00,

the composition of the powder particles comprises an additional chemical element in a quantity of more than 0 and less than 0.5 wt % and suitable for modifying the material'"'"'s microstructure,

the powder particles provide the discontinuous reinforcement, and

the additional chemical element facilitates wetting of the reinforcement by a liquid, which is formed by melting a portion of the powder particles via the high-energy beam.

13. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein a span value defined as;

(d_90%−

d_10%)/d_50%

is less than or equal to 0.5,

(d_90%−

d_50%)/d_50%≦

0.33, and

(d_90%−

d_10%)/d_50%≦

0.17.

14. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the powder particles are obtained by atomizing or centrifuging a parent alloy.

15. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the powder particles are obtained by coating or by encrustation.

16. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the powder particles are obtained by milling/mixing.

17. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the powder particles are obtained by granulating a suspension.

18. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the composition of the powder particles is enriched in at least one chemical element, which is a chemical element of the material.

19. :

The method according to claim 18,

wherein the at least one chemical element, or an oxide of the at least one chemical element, is volatile at a temperature produced by the high-energy beam.

20. :

The method according to claim 19,

wherein the material is a Ti6Al4V metal alloy and the volatile chemical element is aluminum.

21. :

The method according to claim 20,

wherein an enriched content of aluminum from the powder particles ranges from 0.15 wt % to 3 wt % relative to the Ti6Al4V alloy.

22. :

The method according to claim 19, wherein the material is a metal alloy based on aluminum or on lithium, and the volatile chemical element is lithium.

23. :

The method according to claim 1,

wherein the high-energy beam is a laser beam.

24. :

The method according to claim 23,

wherein the melting or sintering comprises applying a direct metal deposition technique, a selective laser melting technique, or a selective laser sintering technique to a powder bed.

2. :

A method of fabricating a part out of a material with discontinuous reinforcement, the method comprising;

melting or sintering powder particles via a high-energy beam,

wherein

the material is a metallic, intermetallic, ceramic, ceramic matrix composite, or a metal matrix composite material,

the powder particles have substantially identical mean composition, a sphericity of from 0.8 to 1.0, a form factor of from 1 to √

2, and a grain size distribution narrowed around a mean diameter value d_50% in such a manner that;

(d_90%−

d_50%)/d_50%≦

0.66,

(d_50%−

d_10%)/d_50%≦

0.33, and

(d_90%−

d_10%)/d_50%≦

1.00,

the composition of the powder particles comprises an additional chemical element in a quantity of more than 0 and less than 0.5 wt % and suitable for modifying the material'"'"'s microstructure, and

when the material is a ceramic material, the additional chemical element is suitable for improving the ceramic material'"'"'s absorptivity of a radiation emitted by the high-energy beam.

3-12. -12. (canceled)