Apparatus for droplet stream manufacturing
First Claim
1. In an apparatus for manufacturing a net form product, the combination of:
- a source of liquid material under pressure;
a chamber;
a support for positioning a product collector in said chamber, said collector defining the shape of a desired product;
liquid droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber, said generator means including a nozzle;
conduit means for conducting molten material from said material source to said generator nozzle;
disturbance means for providing a disturbance to said stream at said nozzle to produce a stream of liquid droplets monodispersed in a single line; and
drive means for relative movement of said nozzle and said support for impacting liquid droplets of said stream onto said product collector in a predetermined pattern.
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Abstract
A method of manufacture of a net form product, including directing a stream of liquid from a nozzle onto a collector of the shape of the desired product, applying a disturbance to the stream, preferably an amplitude modulated disturbance, to produce a droplet stream, and with the nozzle and collector in a chamber, controlling the chamber environment. An apparatus for manufacturing a net form product having a source of molten material under pressure, a support for positioning a product collector in a chamber with the collector defining a desired product, a droplet stream generator positioned within the chamber and including a nozzle, a conduit for conducting molten material from the material source to the generator nozzle, a mechanism, typically a modulator, for disturbing the droplet stream, and a drive mechanism for relative movement of the nozzle and support.
132 Citations
19 Claims
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1. In an apparatus for manufacturing a net form product, the combination of:
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a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; a support for positioning a product collector in said chamber, said collector defining the shape of a desired product; liquid droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber, said generator means including a nozzle; conduit means for conducting molten material from said material source to said generator nozzle; disturbance means for providing a disturbance to said stream at said nozzle to produce a stream of liquid droplets monodispersed in a single line; and drive means for relative movement of said nozzle and said support for impacting liquid droplets of said stream onto said product collector in a predetermined pattern. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In an apparatus for producing a stream of disk shaped droplets, the combination of:
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a source of liquid material under pressure; a chamber; liquid droplet stream generator means positioned within said chamber, said generator means including first and second nozzles; conduit means for conducting liquid material from said material source to each of said generator nozzles for producing intersecting streams; modulator means for providing an amplitude modulated disturbance to said streams at said nozzles to produce first and second streams of liquid droplets, with each stream monodispersed in a single line and with droplets of the intersecting streams impacting to form dis-shaped droplets monodispersed in a single line; and means for maintaining a vacuum in said chamber. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification