Three-dimensional printing techniques

• US 5,204,055 A
• Filed: 12/08/1989
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Cima, Michael J., Sachs, Emanuel M., Williams, Paul A., Haggerty, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Evan
• Application Number:
  US07/447,677
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 427/57, 427/197-199, 427/203-205, 427/14.1, 427/265, 427/266, 427/201, 427/202, 264/23, 264/25, 264/113, 264/128, 264/60, 264/71, 264/69, 419/2, 419/5, 419/10
• US Class Current: 419/2
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 19/04 the particulate material being projected, poured or allowed to flow onto the surface of the work B05C19/02 takes precedence; involving spraying or electrostatic projection B05B B05C19/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/14 by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/22 Direct deposition of molten metal
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/366 Scanning parameters, e.g. hatch distance or scanning strategy
• 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 12/224 for motion along a direction within the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/53 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/55 Two or more means for feeding material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/00 Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/004 Filling molds with powder feeding material to presses in general B30B15/302
• 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: B29C 41/006 using an electrostatic field for applying the material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/12 Spreading-out the material on a substrate , e.g. on the surface of a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/36 Feeding the material on to the mould, core or other substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/02 Moulding by agglomerating B29C67/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/04 Sintering combined with compression B29C43/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/243 for making articles of definite length
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 15/302 Feeding material in particulate or plastic state to moulding presses
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 : Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/20 : Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• 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: B41J 2/01 : Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/085 : Charge means, e.g. electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/09 : Deflection means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49013 : Deposit layers, cured by scanning laser, stereo lithography SLA, prototyping
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/013 : Inkjet printing, e.g. for printing insulating material or resist
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0522 : Using an adhesive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/102 : by bonding of conductive powder, i.e. metallic powder H05K3/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12014 : having metal particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12021 : having composition or density gradient or differential porosity

Abstract

A process for making a component by depositing a first layer of a fluent porous material, such as a powder, in a confined region and then depositing a binder material to selected regions of the layer of powder material to produce a layer of bonded powder material at the selected regions. Such steps are repeated a selected number of times to produce successive layers of selected regions of bonded powder material so as to form the desired component. The unbonded powder material is then removed. In some cases the component may be further processed as, for example, by heating it to further strengthen the bonding thereof.

Claims

1. A process for making a component comprising the steps of

(1) depositing a layer of a powder material in a confined region;

(2) applying a further material to one or more selected regions of said layer of powder material which will cause said layer of powder material to become bonded at said one or more selected regions;

(3) repeating steps (1) and (2) a selected number of times to produce a selected number of successive layers, said further material causing said successive layers to become bonded to each other;

(4) removing unbonded powder material which is not at said one or more selected regions to provide the component.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said powder material includes two different types of powder material.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said powder material is a ceramic, metallic, or plastic material and said further material is an inorganic material, an organic material, or a metallic material.

4. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said powder material is a ceramic and said further material is a colloidal suspension of ceramic particles.

9. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material is applied as one or more jet streams thereof.

10. A process in accordance with claim 9 and further including the step of further processing said bonded material to improve the properties of said component.

11. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 and further including the step of further processing said bonded material to improve the properties of said component.

12. A process in accordance with claim 11 wherein said further processing step includes the step of heating said selected number of successive layers of bonded material to further strengthen the bonding of said successive layers of bonded material.

13. A process in accordance with claim 1 or 5 wherein said material is deposited in a dry state.

14. A process in accordance with claim 13 and further including the step of vibrating said dry material to settle said material as said layers thereof are deposited.

15. A process in accordance with claim 14 wherein said vibrating step is performed by mechanical vibration of said deposited material, by applying accoustic energy to said deposited material, or by applying a piezoelectric scraper device to said deposited material.

16. A process in accordance with claim 1 or 5 wherein said material is deposited in a liquid vehicle.

17. A process in accordance with claim 16 and further including the step of at least partially drying the material before applying said further material.

18. A process in accordance with claim 17 wherein said at least partial drying step is performed by applying infra-red or hot air heat to said deposited layer of material or by applying microwaves to said deposited layer of material.

19. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material is applied as a liquid.

20. A process in accordance with claim 19 wherein said liquid is an aqueous solution or a colloidal suspension.

21. A process in accordance with claim 19 wherein said liquid comprises binder particles entrained in a carrier liquid.

22. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material comprises at least two different further materials, said two different further materials being applied to at least two different selected regions of said material.

23. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material is applied as a single jet stream.

24. A process in accordance with claim 23 where each of said one or more jet streams is applied as a plurality of separate droplets thereof.

25. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material is applied as a plurality of jet streams.

26. A process in accordance with claim 25 wherein each of said one or more jet streams of further material is applied as a continuous jet stream thereof.

27. A process in accordance with claim 25 wherein each of said one or more jet streams is applied as a plurality of separate droplets thereof.

28. A process in accordance with claim 27 wherein said separate droplets are applied using continuous jet printing or drop-on-demand jet printing.

29. A process in accordance with claim 25 wherein said plurality of jet streams are applied in one or more arrays thereof.

30. A process in accordance with claim 25 wherein said plurality of jet streams are applied in one or more linear arrays thereof.

31. A process in accordance with claim 1 or 5 wherein said further material is at least partially hardened after being applied.

32. A process in accordance with claim 31 wherein said further material is hardened by applying heat energy thereto.

33. A process in accordance with claim 32 wherein said heat energy is applied as infra-red or microwave heat energy.

34. A process in accordance with claim 31 wherein said further material is hardened by chemical reaction.

35. A process in accordance with claim 34 wherein said further material is at least partially hardened by chemical reaction after each layer of further material is applied, said powdered material being deposited in a wet state, and said chemical reaction occurring between said further material and the liquid in said wet powdered material.

36. A process in accordance with claim 34 wherein said further material is at least partially hardened by chemical reaction after each layer of further material is applied, and further including the step of supplying a gaseous material to said further material, said further material chemically reacting with said gaseous material to form a partially hardened material.

37. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said material which is removed is removed ultrasonically.

38. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said further material is applied in a dry state.

39. A process in accordance with claim 1 or 5 for making a mold having re-entrant regions and one or more passageways for the admission of molding material into said mold wherein said further material is not applied to said re-entrant regions and unbonded powder material is removed from said re-entrant regions via said passageways.

40. A process in accordance with claim 39 when said powder material is a ceramic powder material for forming a ceramic mold.

41. A process in accordance with claim 39 wherein said mold comprises a main body region and one or more core regions, one type of further material being applied to form said main body region and a different type of further material being applied to form said one or more core regions.

42. A process in accordance with claims 1 or 5 wherein said component is a mold.

5. A process for making a component comprising the steps of

(1) depositing in a confined region a layer of a fluent porous material having interconnected porosity;

(2) applying to one or more selected regions of said layer of fluent porous material a further material which will cause said layer of fluent porous material to become bonded at said one or more selected regions;

(3) repeating steps (1) and (2) a selected number of times to produce a selected number of successive layers, said further material causing said successive layers to become bonded to each other;

(4) removing fluent porous material which is not at said one or more selected regions to provide the component.

6. A process in accordance with claim 5 wherein said porous material is a ceramic, metallic, or plastic material and said further material is an inorganic material, an organic material, or a metallic material.

7. A process in accordance with claim 6 wherein said porous material is a ceramic and said further material is a colloidal suspension of ceramic particles.

8. A process in accordance with claim 5 wherein the porosity of said component is determined in accordance with the packing density of said porous material.