Method to construct and physically join building blocks into a near-net shaped part using an interfacial reaction-activation mechanism

• US 8,606,389 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
• Inventors: Burkes, James M., Evans, Paul T., Scribner, Cliff J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/031,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 700/95, 700/98, 700117-119, 156/60
• US Class Current: 700/119
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/00 Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35219 From cad data derive cutting, stacking, sorting program
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/20 Configuration CAD, e.g. designing by assembling or positioning modules selected from libraries of predesigned modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method to construct and physically join near-net shaped structural building blocks into a composite part using an interfacial reaction-activation mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a machinery part, comprising:

modeling the part as data capable of being manipulated by a computer;

using the computer to transform the data into a format wherein the machinery part is represented as a near-net structure made from channel-shaped building blocks;

wherein the building blocks are of uniform shape and each building block is a single piece of material and has a shape that is entirely that of an open three-sided or two-sided channel having flat sides;

wherein each building block is at least partially coated with a reactive coating that also has an adhesive property, such that flat sides of building blocks adhere upon contact to each other when and may thereby be interfacially adjoined;

delivering the data to an automated stacking system;

using the stacking system to assemble the building blocks, using only gravity or the adhesive property of adjoining flat sides for support, to form the near-net structure;

wherein the near-net structure is assembled with a stacking process that requires no internal or external support other than the building blocks themselves to support the assembly;

fusing the building blocks with a reaction-activation process, such that the reactive coating causes any adjoining flat sides of the building blocks to be fused together;

wherein the building blocks have a surface precursor, and the step of fusing the building blocks is performed by activating the precursor; and

removing excess material from the near-net structure to form the machinery part.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel shape has a three-sided “

u”

profile.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel shape has a two-sided “

v”

profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each side of each building block has an inner face and an outer face, and wherein the joining step is performed such that an inner face of at least one building block is fused to an outer face of another at least one building block.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction-activation process has activation phase performed by one of the following processes:

chemical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, or optical.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the building blocks is an active element, which can be stimulated to allow expansion or contraction of its shape.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the active element is made from a shape memory alloy.