Three-dimensional printing techniques

• US 5,340,656 A
• Filed: 04/09/1993
• Issued: 08/23/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Williams, Paul A., Cima, Michael J., Sachs, Emanuel M., Haggerty, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greaves, John N.
• Application Number:
  US08/045,632
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 8/468, 101/463, 156/3, 156/62.2, 156/89, 156/235, 156/603, 161/167, 264/22, 264/219, 364/468, 425/174.4, 427/53.1, 427/96, 427/197, 428/324, 428/546, 419/2
• US Class Current: 428/546
• 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 powder material 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 system for making a component comprising

means for depositing a selected number of successive layers of a porous material;

means for applying to one or more selected regions of each successive layer of porous material a further material which will cause the porous material to become bonded at said one or more selected regions, said applying means applying said further material after each successive layer of porous material has been deposited to form said component; and

means for removing porous material which is not at said one or more selected regions.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means includes means for applying said further material as one or more jet streams thereof.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 and further including means for further processing said bonded material to improve the properties of said component.

4. A system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means for further processing includes means for heating said bonded material to further strengthen the bonding of said bonded material.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said porous material depositing means deposits said porous material as a powder material in a dry state.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5 and further including means for mechanically vibrating said dry deposited powder material, for applying acoustic energy to said deposited powder material or for applying a piezoelectric scraper device to said deposited powder material.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said porous material depositing means deposits said porous material as a powder material in a liquid vehicle.

8. A system in accordance with claim 7 and further including means for at least partially drying the powder material before applying said further material.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein said drying means includes means for applying infra-red or hot air heat to said deposited layer of powder material or for applying microwaves to said deposited layer of powder material.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 and further including means for at least partially hardening said further material.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein said hardening means includes means for applying heat energy to said further material.

12. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means applies two different types of further materials to different regions of said layers of porous material.

13. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means applies said further material using a continuous jet means or a drop-on-demand jet means.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means is arranged to provide a relative movement of said applying means with respect to said successive layers of porous material.

15. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means is moved over said successive layers of porous material in a selected pattern, said successive layers of porous material being maintained substantially stationary relative to said applying means.

16. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said further material applying means is moved over said successive layers of porous material in a raster scan pattern.

17. A system in accordance with claim 1 and further including

a chamber;

a piston movable in said chamber, said depositing means depositing said successive layers of porous material within a region defined by the chamber and the piston; and

means for moving said piston downwardly in said chamber after the depositing of each successive layer of porous material.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1 for making a mold component having re-entrant regions and one or more passageways for the admission of molding material into said mold wherein

said applying means applies said further material to selected regions to form the mold component but does not apply said further material to the re-entrant regions of the mold component;

and

said removing means removes porous material from said reentrant regions via said passageways.

19. A system in accordance with claim 18 wherein said applying means applies a ceramic powder as said porous material to form a ceramic mold component.

20. A system in accordance with claim 18 for making a mold component having a main body and one or more cores wherein said applying means applies one type of a further material to selected regions which form said main body and applies a different type of further material to selected regions which form said cores.

21. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said component is a mold component.