WIRE MANUFACTURED BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHODS

• US 20170173735A1
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Hsu, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,688,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B21C 3/08 with section defined by rollers, balls, or the like
• 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 10/38 to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/50 Treatment of workpieces or articles during build-up, e.g. treatments applied to fused layers during build-up
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/66 by mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/13 to preheat the material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/50 Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2003/1053 by induction
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/12 of wires of tubes B22F5/10
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0026 Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0086 welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/32 Wires
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0624 using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1ns or less
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/702 Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/02 characterised by mechanical features, e.g. shape
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0222 for use in soldering, brazing B23K35/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0227 Rods, wires B23K35/0244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0244 Powders, particles or spheres; Preforms made therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0261 : Rods, electrodes, wires
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/36 : Selection of non-metallic compositions, e.g. coatings, fluxes B23K35/34 takes precedence; Selection of soldering or welding materials, conjoint with selection of non-metallic compositions, both selections being of interest selection of soldering or welding materials proper B23K35/24
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/40 : Making wire or rods for soldering or welding processes involving a single technical art, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. B05D, B21C
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/404 : Coated rods; Coated electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/406 : Filled tubular wire or rods B23K35/402 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/04 : Welding for other purposes than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/167 : and of a non-consumable electrode
• 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 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62277 : Fibres based on carbides
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/10 : Induction heating apparatus, other than furnaces, for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

Systems and methods for the manufacture of a solid wire using additive manufacturing techniques are disclosed. In one embodiment, a fine powdery material is sintered or melted or soldered or metallurgically bonded onto a metal strip substrate in a compacted solid form or a near-net shape (e.g., a near-net solid wire shape) before being turned into a final product through forming or drawing dies.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing a welding-type filler metal wire, comprising:

a transporter system configured to move a work-in-progress filler metal build under a heat source;

a material source system configured to provide a source material that is added to a substrate or a previously bonded material by the heat source over one or more passes to build a near-net shaped solid wire; and

a plate assembly or a die assembly configured to draw down to ensure a diameter or a cross-sectional area of the near-net shape solid wire into a finished solid wire.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the near-net shape solid wire is reduced by less than ten percent by the plate assembly or the die assembly.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate or the previously bonded material includes a metal strip.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate or the previously bonded material includes a powder, a flux, a wire, or a rod.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transporter system includes one or more pulleys that move the substrate or the previously bonded material.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transporter system includes one or more motorized drive rolls.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the heat source includes one or more of the following:

a laser source, an induction heating source, an electron beam source, and an arc.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the finished solid wire is consumed in an electric arc or high energy density beam for welding, brazing, or cladding.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the finished solid wire is consumed in an electric arc or high energy density beam for cutting or gouging.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transporter system continuously or periodically moves the substrate or the previously bonded material.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the material source system includes a powder bed, wherein the transporter system moves the substrate or the previously bonded material multiple times through the powder bed, and wherein each time through the powder bed causes a deposition of a layer of material in powder form on the substrate or the previously bonded material.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the heat source sinters or melts the deposited layer of metal and a non-metallic material onto the substrate or the previously bonded material.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the material source system includes a wire feeding system, and wherein the wire feeding system provides a feeder wire to the substrate or the previously bonded material such that the feeder wire melts and solidifies with the substrate or the previously bonded material.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near-net shaped wire has a porous internal structure and an external surface.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near-net shaped wire has a hermetically sealed exterior.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near-net shaped wire has different compositions or constitution that repeat in a length-wise direction of the near-net shaped wire.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near-net shaped wire has different physical properties that repeat in a length-wise direction of the near-net shaped wire.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the near-net shaped wire has different physical structures that repeat in a length-wise direction of the near-net shaped wire.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate or the previously bonded material is initially a C-shaped, U-shaped, or flat metal strip.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the source material includes metal or metal oxide powders including or more of the following:

iron, niobium, vanadium, zirconium, titanium, molybdenum, boron, rare-earth metals, aluminum, nickel, magnesium, manganese, and chromium.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the source material includes a non-metallic material that includes one or more of the following:

an arc stabilizer and a shielding agent.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the arc stabilizer includes one or both of potassium and sodium, or wherein the shielding agent includes one or both of lime stone and ferrosilicon.

23. The system according to claim 1, wherein the welding-type filler metal wire is used for welding, joining, brazing, soldering, or cladding with an arc, a laser, an electron beam, or friction as an energy source.

24. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the material source system includes a laser metal deposition (LMD) head or an electron beam or an electric arc torch that is configured to deposit the source material and to heat the deposited material to additively manufacture a near-net shaped wire in an axial direction of the near-net shaped wire, and

wherein the transportation system is configured to axially move the wire away from the LMD head or the electron beam or the electric arc torch, wherein the LMD head or the electron beam or the electric arc torch and the transportation system are matched in speed.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the diameter of the near-net shape solid wire is reduced by less than ten percent by the drawing plate assembly or the drawing die assembly.

26. The system according to claim 24, wherein the LMD head is configured to coaxially provide a laser beam, the source material, and a shielding gas.

27. The system according to claim 24, wherein the near-net shaped wire axially builds-up.

28. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the material source system includes a laser metal deposition (LMD) head or an electron beam or an electric arc torch that is configured to heat the substrate or the previously bonded material and to deposit the source material onto the heated metal substrate or the heated previously bonded material to additively manufacture a near-net shaped wire, and

wherein the transportation system configured to move the substrate or the previously bonded material under the LMD head or the electric arc torch or the electron beam.

29. The system according to claim 1, wherein the heat source is configured to modify a surface property or a geometry of the work-in-progress filler metal build.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the heat source is configured to provide surface marking or texturing on the work-in-progress filler metal build.

31. The system according to claim 29, wherein the heat source is configured to provide micro hole drilling or micromachining to create cavities in the work-in-progress filler metal build.

32. The system according to claim 29, wherein the heat source is configured to introduce residual stress in particular patterns in the work-in-progress filler metal build.

33. The system according to claim 1, wherein the material source system is configured to provide a metal oxide, a carbide, a silica, a flux, or a high temperature nanoparticle that is bonded to the substrate by the heat source over one or more passes to build the near-net shaped solid wire.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein the material source system is configured to provide a metal material and one or more of the following:

the metal oxide, the carbide, the silica, the flux, high temperature nanoparticles, and other non-metallic material.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the plate assembly or the die assembly does not substantially reduce the diameter of the near-net shape solid wire when forming the finished solid wire.