U.S. patent application number 15/469391 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-19 for removable sinter supports.
The applicant listed for this patent is Desktop Metal, Inc.. Invention is credited to Yet-Ming Chiang, Ricardo Chin, Richard Remo Fontana, Ricardo Fulop, Michael Andrew Gibson, Anastasios John Hart, Jonah Samuel Myerberg, Christopher Allan Schuh.
Application Number | 20170297102 15/469391 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60039787 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170297102 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chin; Ricardo ; et
al. |
October 19, 2017 |
REMOVABLE SINTER SUPPORTS
Abstract
Additive fabrication systems generally use support structures to
expand the available range of features and geometries in fabricated
objects. For example, when a vertical shelf or cantilever extends
from an object, a supplemental support structure may be required to
provide a surface that this feature can be fabricated upon. This
process may become more difficult when a surface requiring support
is enclosed within a cavity inside an object being fabricated.
Techniques are disclosed herein for fabricating supports that can
be removed from within cavities in an object.
Inventors: |
Chin; Ricardo; (Shrewsbury,
MA) ; Myerberg; Jonah Samuel; (Lexington, MA)
; Gibson; Michael Andrew; (Boston, MA) ; Fulop;
Ricardo; (Lexington, MA) ; Fontana; Richard Remo;
(Cape Elizabeth, ME) ; Schuh; Christopher Allan;
(Wayland, MA) ; Chiang; Yet-Ming; (Weston, MA)
; Hart; Anastasios John; (Waban, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Desktop Metal, Inc. |
Burlington |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
60039787 |
Appl. No.: |
15/469391 |
Filed: |
March 24, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62322760 |
Apr 14, 2016 |
|
|
|
62432298 |
Dec 9, 2016 |
|
|
|
62473372 |
Mar 18, 2017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22F 7/02 20130101; B29C
64/40 20170801; B29C 64/386 20170801; B22F 2003/242 20130101; B29K
2509/02 20130101; B29C 64/264 20170801; B29C 64/20 20170801; B29C
64/147 20170801; B22F 7/04 20130101; B29C 64/153 20170801; B29K
2105/16 20130101; B33Y 80/00 20141201; Y02P 10/25 20151101; B29C
64/268 20170801; B29C 64/106 20170801; B22F 2998/10 20130101; B22F
3/24 20130101; B29K 2505/00 20130101; B33Y 50/02 20141201; B33Y
70/00 20141201; B29K 2507/04 20130101; B29C 64/165 20170801; B22F
1/0059 20130101; Y02P 10/295 20151101; B22F 2007/042 20130101; B28B
1/001 20130101; B33Y 50/00 20141201; B22F 3/22 20130101; B22F
2003/1057 20130101; B22F 2003/1058 20130101; B22F 2999/00 20130101;
B29C 64/10 20170801; B22F 3/1021 20130101; B29C 64/112 20170801;
B33Y 10/00 20141201; B33Y 40/00 20141201; B33Y 30/00 20141201; B22F
3/1055 20130101; B22F 3/008 20130101; B22F 2998/10 20130101; B22F
1/0059 20130101; B22F 3/008 20130101; B22F 3/1021 20130101; B22F
2999/00 20130101; B22F 3/008 20130101; B22F 2003/1058 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B22F 3/10 20060101
B22F003/10; B33Y 40/00 20060101 B33Y040/00; B22F 3/105 20060101
B22F003/105; B33Y 10/00 20060101 B33Y010/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: fabricating an object from a build material
using an additive fabrication process, the object having a cavity
and a passageway, the cavity including an interior surface
requiring support during fabrication and the passageway providing
an open passage between the cavity and an exterior environment for
the object; fabricating a support structure for the interior
surface, wherein the support structure includes a composite support
structure formed from a plurality of independent support structures
configured to collectively provide support to the interior surface
to satisfy a fabrication rule for the build material, wherein the
passageway is smaller than the composite support structure, and
wherein each of the independent support structures is shaped and
sized for individual removal from the cavity through the
passageway; and fabricating an interface layer between each of the
plurality of independent support structures to facilitate
disassembly and removal of each of the plurality of independent
support structures from the cavity through the passageway.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the composite support structure
has a shape with dimensions collectively too large to pass through
a smallest width of the passageway.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the build material includes a
powdered material and a binder system, the binder system including
a first binder that resists deformation of a net shape of the
object during fabrication and a second binder that resists
deformation of the net shape of the object during sintering of the
object into a final part.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the powdered material includes a
metallic powder.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface layer is formed of
an interface material including a ceramic powder.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface layer is formed of
an interface material that resists bonding of the support structure
to the interior surface of the object during sintering.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating a second
interface layer between one of the plurality of independent support
structures and an adjacent portion of the interior surface of the
cavity.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising debinding the
object.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising sintering the
object.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the support structure is a
fabrication support structure, and further wherein the interface
layer is removable with a debind.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising removing the
interface layer and removing the support structure after debinding
and before sintering of the obj ect.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein fabricating the object includes
fabricating a plurality of passageways arranged to flush fluid in
from a first one of the passageways through the cavity and out
through a second one of the passageways.
13-20. (canceled)
21. A method comprising: receiving an article including an object
fabricated from a build material, the object having a cavity and a
passageway, the cavity including an interior surface requiring
support during fabrication and the passageway providing an open
passage between the cavity and an exterior environment for the
object, the article further including a support structure for the
interior surface, wherein the support structure includes a
composite support structure formed from a plurality of independent
support structures configured to collectively provide support to
the interior surface to satisfy a fabrication rule for the build
material, wherein the passageway is smaller than the composite
support structure, and wherein each of the independent support
structures is shaped and sized for individual removal from the
cavity through the passageway, the article further including an
interface layer between each of the plurality of independent
support structures to facilitate disassembly and removal of each of
the plurality of independent support structures from the cavity
through the passageway; and processing the article into a final
part, wherein processing includes at least one of debinding the
article and sintering the article.
22. (canceled)
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. App.
No. 62/322,760 filed on Apr. 14, 2016, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/432,298 filed on Dec. 9, 2016, and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/473,372 filed on Mar. 18, 2017. The entire content of each of
these applications is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0002] This application is also related to the following patent
applications: Inter'l Pat. App. No. PCT/US17/24067 filed on Mar.
24, 2017; Inter'l Pat. App. No. PCT/US17/20817 filed on Mar. 3,
2017; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/059,256 filed on Mar. 2,
2016; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/245,702 filed on Aug. 24,
2016; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/382,535 filed on Dec.
16, 2016. This application is also related to the following U.S.
provisional patent applications: U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/303,310 filed on Mar. 3, 2016, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/303,341 filed on Mar. 3, 2016, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/434,014 filed on Dec. 14, 2016, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/421,716 filed on Nov. 14, 2016, and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.
62/461,726 filed on Feb. 21, 2107. Each of the foregoing
applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD
[0003] The systems and methods described herein relate to additive
manufacturing, and more specifically to techniques for fabricating
support structures, breakaway layers, and the like suitable for use
with sinterable build materials.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Support structures are commonly used in additive
manufacturing to expand the features available in fabricated
object, e.g., by providing underlying structural support for
overhangs or lengthy bridges of otherwise unsupported material.
However, when additively manufacturing with materials that require
additional processing such as debinding and sintering to form a
final part, conventional support strategies and techniques may fail
on multiple fronts, such as where support structures deform or
shrink in patterns that do not match the supported object or where
support structures sinter together with the supported object to
form a single, inseparable structure. There remains a need for
support techniques, materials, and strategies suitable for use with
additively manufactured, sinterable objects.
SUMMARY
[0005] Additive fabrication systems generally use support
structures to expand the available range of features and geometries
in fabricated objects. For example, when a vertical shelf or
cantilever extends from an object, a supplemental support structure
may be required to provide a surface that this feature can be
fabricated upon. This process may become more difficult when a
surface requiring support is enclosed within a cavity inside an
object being fabricated. Techniques are disclosed herein for
fabricating supports that can be removed from within cavities in an
object.
[0006] In another aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
fabricating an object from a build material using an additive
fabrication process, the object having a cavity and a passageway,
the cavity including an interior surface requiring support during
fabrication and the passageway providing an open passage between
the cavity and an exterior environment for the object; fabricating
a support structure for the interior surface, wherein the support
structure includes a composite support structure formed from a
plurality of independent support structures configured to
collectively provide support to the interior surface to satisfy a
fabrication rule for the build material, wherein the passageway is
smaller than the composite support structure, and wherein each of
the independent support structures is shaped and sized for
individual removal from the cavity through the passageway; and
fabricating an interface layer between each of the plurality of
independent support structures to facilitate disassembly and
removal of each of the plurality of independent support structures
from the cavity through the passageway.
[0007] The composite support structure may have a shape with
dimensions collectively too large to pass through a smallest width
of the passageway. The build material may include a powdered
material and a binder system, the binder system including a first
binder that resists deformation of a net shape of the object during
fabrication and a second binder that resists deformation of the net
shape of the object during sintering of the object into a final
part. The powdered material may include a metallic powder. The
interface layer may be formed of an interface material including a
ceramic powder. The interface layer may be formed of an interface
material that resists bonding of the support structure to the
interior surface of the object during sintering. The method may
include fabricating a second interface layer between one of the
plurality of independent support structures and an adjacent portion
of the interior surface of the cavity. The method may include
debinding the object. The method may include sintering the object.
The support structure may be a fabrication support structure,
wherein the interface layer is removable with a debind. The method
may include removing the interface layer and removing the support
structure after debinding and before sintering of the object.
Fabricating the object may include fabricating a plurality of
passageways arranged to flush fluid in from a first one of the
passageways through the cavity and out through a second one of the
passageways.
[0008] In another aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
fabricating an object from a build material using an additive
fabrication process, wherein the build material includes a powdered
build material and a binder system, wherein the binder system
including one or more binders that retain a net shape of the object
during processing of the object into a final part, and wherein the
object has a cavity and a passageway, the cavity including an
interior surface requiring support during fabrication and the
passageway providing an open passage between the cavity and an
exterior environment for the object; and fabricating a support
structure for the interior surface within the cavity, wherein the
support structure is fabricated from a powdered support material in
a matrix.
[0009] The method may include dissolving the matrix during a debind
of the object. The method may include removing the matrix during a
sintering of the object. The method may include reducing the
support structure to a powder by removing the matrix. The method
may include removing the powdered support material from the cavity.
The powdered support material may include a ceramic. The powdered
build material may include a metallic powder. The powdered support
material may resist sintering at a sintering temperature of the
metallic powder.
[0010] In another aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
receiving an article including an object fabricated from a build
material, the object having a cavity and a passageway, the cavity
including an interior surface requiring support during fabrication
and the passageway providing an open passage between the cavity and
an exterior environment for the object, the article further
including a support structure for the interior surface, wherein the
support structure includes a composite support structure formed
from a plurality of independent support structures configured to
collectively provide support to the interior surface to satisfy a
fabrication rule for the build material, wherein the passageway is
smaller than the composite support structure, and wherein each of
the independent support structures is shaped and sized for
individual removal from the cavity through the passageway, the
article further including an interface layer between each of the
plurality of independent support structures to facilitate
disassembly and removal of each of the plurality of independent
support structures from the cavity through the passageway; and
processing the article into a final part, wherein processing
includes at least one of debinding the article and sintering the
article.
[0011] In another aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
receiving an article including an object fabricated from a build
material, the build material including a powdered build material
and a binder system, the binder system including one or more
binders that resist deformation of a net shape of the object during
processing of the object into a final part, and wherein the object
has a cavity and a passageway, the cavity including an interior
surface requiring support during fabrication and the passageway
providing an open passage between the cavity and an exterior
environment for the object, the article further including a support
structure for the interior surface within the cavity, wherein the
support structure is fabricated from a powdered support material in
a matrix; and processing the article into the final part, wherein
processing includes at least one of debinding the article and
sintering the article.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 shows an additive manufacturing system for use with
sinterable build materials.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for additive
fabrication with sinterable build materials.
[0014] FIG. 3 shows an additive manufacturing system using fused
filament fabrication.
[0015] FIG. 4 shows an additive manufacturing system using binder
jetting.
[0016] FIG. 5 shows a stereolithography system.
[0017] FIG. 6 shows a stereolithography system.
[0018] FIG. 7 shows an interface layer.
[0019] FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of a method for forming an
interface layer for removable supports.
[0020] FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating an
object with overhead supports.
[0021] FIG. 10 shows an object with overhead support.
[0022] FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of an object on a shrinking
substrate.
[0023] FIG. 12 shows a top view of an object on a shrinking
substrate.
[0024] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for fabricating
shrinkable support structures.
[0025] FIG. 14 shows a flow chart of a method for independently
fabricating objects and object supports.
[0026] FIG. 15 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating
multi-part assemblies.
[0027] FIG. 16 illustrates a mechanical assembly in a casing.
[0028] FIG. 17 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating
removable sinter supports.
[0029] FIG. 18 shows a flow chart of a method for forming an
interface layer in a binder jetting process.
DESCRIPTION
[0030] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the
accompanying figures. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in
many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
illustrated embodiments set forth herein.
[0031] All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety. References to items in the singular
should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice
versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text.
Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all
disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses,
sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear
from the context. Thus, the term "or" should generally be
understood to mean "and/or" and so forth.
[0032] Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be
limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values
falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and
each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the
specification as if it were individually recited herein. The words
"about," "approximately" or the like, when accompanying a numerical
value, are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would be
appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate
satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Similarly, words of
approximation such as "approximately" or "substantially" when used
in reference to physical characteristics, should be understood to
contemplate a range of deviations that would be appreciated by one
of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for a
corresponding use, function, purpose or the like. Ranges of values
and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do
not constitute a limitation on the scope of the described
embodiments. Where ranges of values are provided, they are also
intended to include each value within the range as if set forth
individually, unless expressly stated to the contrary. The use of
any and all examples, or exemplary language ("e.g.," "such as," or
the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate
the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the
embodiments. No language in the specification should be construed
as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of
the embodiments.
[0033] In the following description, it is understood that terms
such as "first," "second," "top," "bottom," "up," "down," and the
like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as
limiting terms.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows an additive manufacturing system for use with
sinterable build materials. The system 100 may include a printer
102, a conveyor 104, and a post-processing station 106.
[0035] In general, the printer 102 may be any of the printers
described herein or any other three-dimensional printer suitable
for adaptation to fabrication with sinterable build materials. By
way of non-limiting example, the printer 102 may include a fused
filament fabrication system, a binder jetting system, a
stereolithography system, a selective laser sintering system, or
any other system that can be usefully adapted to form a net shape
object under computer control using the sinterable build materials
contemplated herein.
[0036] The output of the printer 102 may be an object 103 that is a
green body or the like formed of a build material including any
suitable powder (e.g., metal, metal alloy, ceramic, and so forth,
as well as combinations of the foregoing), along with a binder that
retains the powder in a net shape produced by the printer 102. A
wide range of compositions may be employed as the build material
contemplated herein. For example, powdered metallurgy materials or
the like may be adapted for use as a build material in a fused
filament fabrication process or the like. Metal injection molding
materials with suitable thermo-mechanical properties for extrusion
in a fused filament fabrication process are described by way of
non-limiting example in Heaney, Donald F., ed. "Handbook of Metal
Injection Molding" (2012), the entire contents of which are hereby
incorporated by reference.
[0037] The conveyor 104 may be used to transport the object 103
from the printer 102 to a post-processing station 106, which may
include one or more separate processing stations, where debinding
and sintering can be performed. The conveyor 104 may be any
suitable mechanism or combination of devices suitable for
physically transporting the object 103. This may, for example,
include robotics and a machine vision system or the like on the
printer side for detaching the object 103 from a build platform, as
well as robotics and a machine vision system or the like on the
post-processing side to accurately place the object 103 within the
post-processing station 106. In another aspect, the post-processing
station 106 may serve multiple printers so that a number of objects
can be debound and sintered concurrently, and the conveyor 104 may
interconnect the printers and post-processing station so that
multiple print jobs can be coordinated and automatically completed
in parallel. In another aspect, the object 103 may be manually
transported between the two corresponding stations.
[0038] The post-processing station 106 may be any system or
combination of systems useful for converting a green part formed
into a desired net shape from a metal injection molding build
material by the printer 102 into a final object. The
post-processing station 106 may, for example, include a debinding
station such as a chemical debinding station for dissolving binder
materials in a solvent or the like, or more generally any debinding
station configured to remove at least a portion of the binder
system from the build material of the object 103. The
post-processing station 106 may also or instead include a thermal
sintering station for applying a thermal sintering cycle at a
sintering temperature for the build material, or the powdered
material in the build material, such as a sintering furnace
configured to sinter the powdered material into a densified object.
The components of the post-processing station 106 may be used in
sequence to produce a final object. As another example, some
contemporary injection molding materials are engineered for thermal
debinding, which makes it possible to perform a combination of
debinding and sintering steps with a single oven or similar device.
In general, the thermal specifications of a sintering furnace will
depend upon the powdered material, the binder system, the volume
loading of the powdered material into the binder system, and other
aspects of the green object and the materials used to manufacture
same. Commercially available sintering furnaces for thermally
debound and sintered metal injection molding (MIM) parts will
typically operate with an accuracy of +/-5 degrees Celsius or
better, and at temperatures of at least 600 degrees Celsius, or
from about 200 degrees Celsius to about 1900 degrees Celsius for
extended times. Any such furnace or similar heating device may be
usefully employed as the post-processing station 106 as
contemplated herein. Vacuum or pressure treatment may also or
instead be used. In an aspect, after the object 103 is placed in
the oven, beads of an identical or similar composition, with the
addition of an unsinterable exterior coating, may be packed into
the oven with the object to provide general mechanical support with
a thermally matched shrinkage rate that will not form a bond to the
object during sintering.
[0039] In the context of this description, it will be appreciated
that sintering may usefully include different types of sintering.
For example, sintering may include the application of heat to
sinter an object to full density or nearly full density. In another
aspect, sintering may include partial sintering, e.g., for a
sintering and infiltration process in which pores of a partially
sintered part are filled, e.g., through contact and capillary
action, with some other material such as a low melting point metal
to increase hardness, increase tensile strength, or otherwise alter
or improve properties of a final part. Thus, any references herein
to sintering should be understood to contemplate sintering and
infiltration unless a different meaning is expressly stated or
otherwise clear from the context. Similarly, references to a
sinterable powder or sinterable build material should be understood
to contemplate any sinterable material including powders that can
be sintered and infiltrated to form a final part.
[0040] It should also be understood that, where an infiltrable
build material is used, the corresponding interface layer should be
engineered to resist any infiltration that might result in the
formation of a mechanical bond across the barrier created by the
interface layer. Thus, for example, when using infiltrable build
materials, a powdered material such as a ceramic of the interface
layer may usefully have a particle size and shape selected to be
substantially resistant to infiltration by the infiltrant (e.g., an
infiltrating liquid) used to densify the object. While the
infiltration barrier may be created mechanically based on shape and
size of particles, e.g., by creating particles that are very small
to slow the wicking of a liquid infiltrant into the interface
layer, the barrier may also or instead be created chemically by
coating particles with, or forming the particles from, a
substantially non-wetting material relative to the infiltrating
liquid. These and any other techniques that would be apparent to
one of ordinary skill in the art may be used to create an interface
layer for use with infiltrable build materials as contemplated
herein.
[0041] It will also be appreciated that a wide range of other
debinding and sintering processes can be used. For example, the
binder may be removed in a chemical debind, thermal debind, or some
combination of these. Other debinding processes are also known in
the art, such as supercritical debinding or catalytic debinding,
any of which may also or instead be employed by the post-processing
station 106. For example, in a common process, a green part is
first debound using a chemical debind, which is following by a
thermal debind at a moderately high temperature (in this context,
around 700-800 Celsius) to remove organic binder and create enough
necks among a powdered material to provide sufficient strength for
handling. From this stage, the object may be moved to a sintering
furnace to remove any remaining components of a binder system and
densify the object into a final part. In another aspect, a pure
thermal debind may be used to remove the organic binder. More
generally, any technique or combination of techniques may be
usefully employed to debind an object as contemplated herein.
[0042] Similarly, a wide range of sintering techniques may be
usefully employed by the post-processing station 106. In one
aspect, an object may be consolidated in a furnace to a high
theoretical density using vacuum sintering. In another aspect, the
furnace may use a combination of flowing gas (e.g., at below
atmosphere, slightly above atmosphere, or some other suitable
pressure) and vacuum sintering. More generally, any sintering or
other process suitable for improving object density may be used,
preferably where the process yields a near-theoretical density part
with little or no porosity. Hot-isostatic pressing ("HIP") may also
or instead be employed, e.g., by applying elevated temperatures and
pressures of 10-50 ksi, or between about 15 and 30 ksi, as a
post-sintering step to increase density of the final part. In
another aspect, the object may be processed using any of the
foregoing, followed by a moderate overpressure (greater than the
sintering pressure, but lower than HIP pressures). In this latter
process, gas may be pressurized at 1006-1500 psi and maintained at
elevated temperatures within the furnace or some other supplemental
chamber. In another aspect, the object may be separately heated in
one furnace, and then immersed in a hot granular media inside a
die, with pressure applied to the media so that it can be
transmitted to the object to drive more rapid consolidation to near
full density. More generally, any technique or combination of
techniques suitable for removing binder systems and driving a
powdered material toward consolidation and densification may be
used by the post-processing station 106 to process a fabricated
green part as contemplated herein.
[0043] In one aspect, the post-processing station 106 may be
incorporated into the printer 102, thus removing a need for a
conveyor 104 to physically transport the object 103. The build
volume of the printer 102 and components therein may be fabricated
to withstand the elevated debinding/sintering temperatures. In
another aspect, the printer 102 may provide movable walls,
barriers, or other enclosure(s) within the build volume so that the
debind and/or sinter can be performed while the object 103 is on a
build platform within the printer 102, but thermally isolated from
any thermally sensitive components or materials.
[0044] The post-processing station 106 may be optimized in a
variety of ways for use in an office environment. In one aspect,
the post-processing station 106 may include an inert gas source
108. The inert gas source 108 may, for example, include argon or
other inert gas (or other gas that is inert to the sintered
material), and may be housed in a removable and replaceable
cartridge that can be coupled to the post-processing station 106
for discharge into the interior of the post-processing station 106,
and then removed and replaced when the contents are exhausted. The
post-processing station 106 may also or instead include a filter
110 such as a charcoal filter or the like for exhausting gasses
that can be outgassed into an office environment in an unfiltered
form. For other gasses, an exterior exhaust, or a gas container or
the like may be provided to permit use in unventilated areas. For
reclaimable materials, a closed system may also or instead be used,
particularly where the environmental materials are expensive or
dangerous.
[0045] In one aspect, the post-processing station 106 may be
coupled to other system components. For example, the
post-processing station 106 may include information from the
printer 102, or from a controller for the printer, about the
geometry, size, mass, and other physical characteristics of the
object 103 in order to generate a suitable debinding and sintering
profile. In another aspect, the profile may be independently
created by the controller or other resource and transmitted to the
post-processing station 106 when the object 103 is conveyed. In
another aspect, the post-processing station 106 may monitor the
debinding and sintering process and provide feedback, e.g., to a
smart phone or other remote device 112, about a status of the
object 103, a time to completion, and other processing metrics and
information. The post-processing station 106 may include a camera
114 or other monitoring device to provide feedback to the remote
device 112, and may provide time lapse animation or the like to
graphically show sintering on a compressed time scale.
Post-processing may also or instead include finishing with heat, a
hot knife, tools, or similar. Post-processing may include applying
a finish coat.
[0046] In another aspect, the post-processing station 106 may be
remote from the printer 102, e.g., in a service bureau model or the
like where the object 103 is fabricated and then sent to a service
bureau for outsourced debinding, sintering and so forth. Thus, for
any of the support structures, interface layers, and so forth
described below, or more generally, for any fabricated items
described below, this disclosure expressly contemplates a
corresponding method of receiving an object or item containing any
such features, e.g., any features or structures described below,
and then performing one or more post-processing steps including but
not limited to shaping, debinding, sintering, finishing, assembly,
and so forth. This may, for example, include receiving a green part
with a fully intact binder system, at a remote processing resource,
where the part can be debound and sintered at the remote processing
resource. This may also or instead include receiving a brown part
where some or all of the binder system has been removed in a
debinding process at another location and the part is only sintered
at the remote processing resource. In this latter case, a portion
of the binder system may usefully be retained in the part, either
as a backbone binder to retain a shape of the object during
sintering until a self-supporting sintering strength is achieved,
or as a residual primary binder that is left in the part to improve
structural integrity during shipping or other handling.
[0047] More generally, this disclosure contemplates any combination
and distribution of steps suitable for centralized or distributed
processing into a final part, as well as any intermediate forms of
the materials, articles of manufacture, and assemblies that might
be used therein.
[0048] For example, in one aspect, a method disclosed herein may
include receiving an article from a creator at a remote processing
resource such as a service bureau, sintering service, or the like.
The article may include a support structure fabricated from a first
material, an interface layer adjacent to the support structure, and
an object supported by the support structure and fabricated from a
second material, the object having a surface adjacent to the
interface layer, where the second material includes a powdered
material for forming a final part and a binder system including one
or more binders, where the one or more binders retain a net shape
of the object during processing of the object into the final part,
where processing of the object into the final part includes
debinding the net shape to remove at least a portion of the one or
more binders and sintering the net shape to join and densify the
powdered material, and where the interface layer resists bonding of
the support structure to the object during sintering. The article
may have been fabricated, for example, at another facility with an
additive fabrication system but no sintering (and/or debinding)
resources. The method may include processing the article at the
remote processing resource into the final part, where processing
the article includes at least one of debinding the article and
sintering the article, and where processing the article further
includes separating the object from the support structure at the
interface layer. The resulting article may then be returned to the
creator for any intended use.
[0049] FIG. 2 shows a method for fabricating an object. The method
200 is more specifically a generalized method for layer-by-layer
fabrication of an object using sinterable materials.
[0050] As shown in step 202, the method 200 may begin with
providing a material for fabrication. This may include any of a
variety of materials that can be usefully handled in a layer-based
fabrication process such as fused filament fabrication, binder
jetting, stereolithography, and so forth. A number of suitable
materials are discussed in greater detail below. More generally,
any material mentioned herein that is suitable for use in a
layer-based fabrication system may be employed as the material in
this method 200. It will further be appreciated that other
techniques that are not layer based, including subtractive
techniques such as milling or fluid jetting, may also or instead be
used, and any correspondingly suitable materials may also or
instead be employed as a build material for fabricating an
object.
[0051] Furthermore, additional materials may be employed by a
fabrication system, such as support materials, interface layers,
finishing materials (for exterior surfaces of an object) and so
forth, any of which may be used as a material for fabrication in
the systems and methods contemplated herein.
[0052] As shown in step 204, the method may include fabricating a
layer for an object. This may, for example, include a layer of the
object itself or a layer of a support structure. For a particular
layer (e.g., at a particular z-axis position of a fabrication
system), an interface layer may also or instead be fabricated to
provide a non-sinterable interface or similar release layer or
structure between a support structure (or a substrate such as a
raft, setter, or print bed) and an object. In another aspect,
finishing materials for exterior surfaces may be used, such as
materials that impart desired aesthetic, structural, or functional
properties to surfaces of the object.
[0053] As shown in step 210, a determination may be made whether
the object (and related supports, etc.) is complete. If the object
is not complete, the method 200 may return to step 204 and another
layer may be fabricated. If the object is complete, then the method
200 may proceed to step 212 where post-processing begins.
[0054] As shown in step 212, the method 200 may include shaping the
object. Prior to debinding and sintering, an object is typically in
a softer, more workable state. While this so-called green part is
potentially fragile and subject to fracturing or the like, the more
workable state affords a good opportunity for surface finishing,
e.g., by sanding or otherwise smoothing away striations or other
artifacts of the layer-based fabrication process, as well as spurs,
burrs and other surface defects that deviate from a computerized
model of an intended shape of the object. In this context, shaping
may include manual shaping, or automated shaping using, e.g., a
computerized milling machine, grinding tools, or a variety of
brushes, abrasives and so forth or any other generally subtractive
technique or tool(s). In one aspect, a fluid stream of a gas such
as carbon dioxide may be used to carry dry ice particulates to
smooth or otherwise shape a surface. In this latter approach, the
abrasive (dry ice) can conveniently change phase directly to a gas
under normal conditions, thus mitigating cleanup of abrasives after
shaping the object.
[0055] As shown in step 214, the process 200 may include debinding
the printed object. In general, debinding may remove some or all of
a binder or binder system that retains a build material containing
a metal (or ceramic or other) powder in a net shape that was
imparted by the printer. Numerous debinding techniques, and
corresponding binder systems, are known in the art and may be used
as binders in the build materials contemplated herein. By way of
non-limiting examples, the debinding techniques may include thermal
debinding, chemical debinding, catalytic debinding, supercritical
debinding, evaporation and so forth. In one aspect, injection
molding materials may be used. For example, some injection molding
materials with rheological properties suitable for use in a fused
filament fabrication process are engineered for thermal debinding,
which advantageously permits debinding and sintering to be
performed in a single baking operation, or in two similar baking
operations. In another aspect, many binder systems may be quickly
and usefully removed in a debinding process by microwaving an
object in a microwave oven or otherwise applying energy that
selectively removes binder system from a green part. With a
suitably adapted debinding process, the binder system may include a
single binder, such as a binder that is removable through a pure
thermal debind.
[0056] More generally, the debinding process removes a binder or
binder system from a net shape green object, thus leaving a dense
structure of metal (or ceramic or other) particles, generally
referred to as a brown part, that can be sintered into the final
form. Any materials and techniques suitable for such a process may
also or instead be employed for debinding as contemplated
herein.
[0057] As shown in step 216, the process 200 may include sintering
the printed and debound object into a final form. In general,
sintering may include any process of densifying and forming a solid
mass of material by heating without liquefaction. During a
sintering process, necks form between discrete particles of a
material, and atoms can diffuse across particle boundaries to fuse
into a solid piece. Because sintering can be performed at
temperatures below the melting temperature, this advantageously
permits fabrication with very high melting point materials such as
tungsten and molybdenum.
[0058] Numerous sintering techniques are known in the art, and the
selection of a particular technique may depend upon the build
material used, the size and composition of particles in a material
and the desired structural, functional or aesthetic result for the
fabricated object. For example, in solid-state (non-activated)
sintering, metal powder particles are heated to form connections
(or "necks") where they are in contact. Over a thermal sintering
cycle, these necks can thicken and create a dense part, leaving
small, interstitial voids that can be closed, e.g., by hot
isostatic pressing (HIP) or similar processes. Other techniques may
also or instead be employed. For example, solid state activated
sintering uses a film between powder particles to improve mobility
of atoms between particles and accelerate the formation and
thickening of necks. As another example, liquid phase sintering may
be used, in which a liquid forms around metal particles. This can
improve diffusion and joining between particles, but also may leave
lower-melting phase within the sintered object that impairs
structural integrity. Other advanced techniques such as nano-phase
separation sintering may be used, for example to form a
high-diffusivity solid at the necks to improve the transport of
metal atoms at the contact point, as described for example in
"Accelerated sintering in phase-separating nanostructured alloys,"
Park et al., Nat. Commun. 6:6858 (2015) (DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7858).
Sintering may also or instead include partial sintering into a
porous article that can be infiltrated with another material to
form a final part.
[0059] It will be understood that debinding and sintering result in
material loss and compaction, and the resulting object may be
significantly smaller than the printed object. However, these
effects are generally linear in the aggregate, and net shape
objects can be usefully scaled up when printing to create a shape
with predictable dimensions after debinding and sintering.
Additionally, as noted above, it should be appreciated that the
method 200 may include sending a fabricated object to a processing
facility such as a service bureau or other remote or outsourced
facility, and the method 200 may also or instead include receiving
the fabricated object at the processing facility and performing any
one or more of the post-fabrication steps described above such as
the shaping of step 212, the debinding of step 214, or the
sintering of step 216.
[0060] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an additive manufacturing
system. The additive manufacturing system 300 shown in the figure
may, for example, include a fused filament fabrication additive
manufacturing system, or any other additive manufacturing system or
combination of manufacturing systems including a printer 301 that
deposits a build material 302 according to a computerized model to
form an object, along with any related support structures,
interface layers, and so forth. While the printer 301 is generally
intended for use with sinterable build materials, the additive
manufacturing system 300 may also or instead be used with other
build materials including plastics, ceramics, and the like, as well
as other materials such as interface layers, support structures and
the like that do not sinter to form a final part.
[0061] In one aspect, the printer 301 may include a build material
302 that is propelled by a drive system 304 and heated to an
extrudable state by a heating system 306, and then extruded through
one or more nozzles 310. By concurrently controlling robotics 308
to position the nozzle(s) along an extrusion path relative to a
build plate 314, an object 312 may be fabricated on the build plate
314 within a build chamber 316. In general, a control system 318
may manage operation of the printer 301 to fabricate the object 312
according to a three-dimensional model using a fused filament
fabrication process or the like.
[0062] A printer 301 disclosed herein may include a first nozzle
for extruding a first material. The printer 301 may also include a
second nozzle for extruding a second material, where the second
material has a supplemental function (e.g., as a support material
or structure) or provides a second build material with different
mechanical, functional, or aesthetic properties useful for
fabricating a multi-material object. The second material may be
reinforced, for example, with an additive such that the second
material has sufficient tensile strength or rigidity at an
extrusion temperature to maintain a structural path between the
second nozzle and a solidified portion of an object during an
unsupported bridging operation. Other materials may also or instead
be used as a second material. For example, this may include
thermally matched polymers for fill, support, separation layers, or
the like. In another aspect, this may include support materials
such as water-soluble support materials with high melting
temperatures at or near the window for extruding the first
material. Useful dissolvable materials may include a salt or any
other water soluble material(s) with suitable thermal and
mechanical properties for extrusion as contemplated herein. In
another aspect, a second (or third, or fourth . . .) nozzle may be
used to introduce an infiltrating material to modify properties of
another deposited material, e.g., to strength a material, stabilize
an exterior finish, etc. While a printer 301 may usefully include
two nozzles, it will be understood that the printer 301 may more
generally incorporate any practical number of nozzles, such as
three or four nozzles, according to the number of materials
necessary or useful for a particular fabrication process.
[0063] The build material 302 may be provided in a variety of form
factors including, without limitation, any of the form factors
described herein or in materials incorporated by reference herein.
The build material 302 may be provided, for example, from a
hermetically sealed container or the like (e.g., to mitigate
passivation), as a continuous feed (e.g., a wire), or as discrete
objects such as rods or rectangular prisms that can be fed into a
chamber or the like as each prior discrete unit of build material
302 is heated and extruded. In one aspect, the build material 302
may include an additive such as fibers of carbon, glass, Kevlar,
boron silica, graphite, quartz, or any other material that can
enhance tensile strength of an extruded line of material. In one
aspect, the additive(s) may be used to increase strength of a
printed object. In another aspect, the additive(s) may be used to
extend bridging capabilities by maintaining a structural path
between the nozzle and a cooled, rigid portion of an object being
fabricated. In one aspect, two build materials 302 may be used
concurrently, e.g., through two different nozzles, where one nozzle
is used for general fabrication and another nozzle is used for
bridging, supports, or similar features.
[0064] In an aspect, the build material 302 may be fed (one by one)
as billets or other discrete units into an intermediate chamber for
delivery into the build chamber 316 and subsequent heating and
deposition. Where fabrication is performed in a vacuum or other
controlled environment, the build material 302 may also or instead
be provided in a cartridge or the like with a vacuum environment
(or other controlled environment) that can be directly or
indirectly coupled to a corresponding controlled environment of the
build chamber 316. In another aspect, a continuous feed of the
build material 302, e.g., a wire or the like, may be fed through a
vacuum gasket into the build chamber 316 in a continuous fashion,
where the vacuum gasket (or any similar fluidic seal) permits entry
of the build material 302 into the chamber 316 while maintaining a
controlled build environment inside the chamber 316.
[0065] In another aspect, the build material 302 may be provided as
a supply of preformed blocks 303, and the robotics 308 may include
a second robotic system configured to position on or more of the
preformed blocks to form an interior structure within the object
312. This may be useful, for example, to quickly build volumes of a
relatively large object that do not require shaping of exterior
surfaces.
[0066] The build material 302 may have any shape or size suitable
for extrusion in a fused filament fabrication process. For example,
the build material 302 may be in pellet or particulate form for
heating and compression, or the build material 302 may be formed as
a wire (e.g., on a spool), a billet, or the like for feeding into
an extrusion process. More generally, any geometry that might be
suitably employed for heating and extrusion might be used as a form
factor for a build material 302 as contemplated herein. This may
include loose bulk shapes such as spherical, ellipsoid, or flaked
particles, as well as continuous feed shapes such as a rod, a wire,
a filament, a spool, a block or a volume of pellets.
[0067] The build material 302 may include a sinterable build
material such as a metal powder loaded into a binder system for
heating and extruding using the techniques contemplated herein. The
binder system renders the composition flowable for extrusion and is
removed through any of a variety of debinding processes. The
powdered material is densified into a final part through sintering.
For example, the build material 302 may include a metal powder
formed of aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium alloys, and so
forth, and the binder system may be formed of a wax, a
thermoplastic, a polymer, or any other suitable material, as well
as combinations of the foregoing.
[0068] Where the build material 302 includes a particulate such as
a powdered material for sintering, the particulate can have any
size useful for heating and extrusion in a fused filament
fabrication process and for subsequent sintering into a densified
object. For example, particles may have an average diameter of
between about 1 micron and about 100 microns, such as between about
5 microns and about 80 microns, between about 10 microns and about
60 microns, between about 15 microns and about 50 microns, between
about 15 microns and about 45 microns, between about 20 microns and
about 40 microns, or between about 25 microns and about 35 microns.
For example, in one embodiment, the average diameter of the
particulate is between about 25 microns and about 44 microns. In
some embodiments, smaller particles, such as those in the nanometer
range, or larger particle, such as those bigger than 100 microns,
can also or instead be used.
[0069] It will be noted that particle sizes are regularly referred
to in this disclosure. In practice, a single number rarely suffices
to accurately and fully characterize the shapes, sizes, and size
distributions of a mixture of particles. For example, a
representative diameter may include an arithmetic mean, a volume or
surface mean, or a mean diameter over volume. And relevant
rheological properties may depend as much on the particle shape as
the particle size. For non-symmetric distributions, the mean,
median and mode may all be different values. Similarly,
distribution widths may vary widely, so regardless of the metric
that is used, the distribution may be reported as several values
such as D10, D50 and D90, which represent the tenth percentile,
fiftieth percentile, and ninetieth percentile respectively. In this
description, where a specific metric is provided, then that is the
intended metric for characterizing a particle size and/or
distribution. Otherwise, and particularly where relative sizes of
two or more distributions are given, any suitable method may be
usefully employed and in general, the same technique (e.g.,
measurement instruments and calculations) will preferably be
employed for both values where possible. Unless otherwise
specifically stated, particles should be understood to have any
shape or combination of dimensions, within the stated size range or
distribution, suitable for use in the methods, systems, and
articles of manufacture contemplated herein.
[0070] In one aspect, metal injection molding compositions may be
usefully adapted for fused filament fabrication systems and other
additive fabrication processes. Metal injection molding is a mature
technology that has produced a variety of highly engineered
materials with high metal loading (e.g., >50% by volume, and
preferably >60% by volume or more (where greater metal loading
can improve and accelerates sintering)) and good flow properties at
elevated temperatures. A variety of commercially available MIM
compositions may be usefully adapted as a build material for fused
filament fabrication. While typical MIM particles sizes of 50
microns or more are not obviously suited for use with existing
fused filament fabrication (FFF) parts (e.g., nozzles with an exit
diameter of 300 microns or less), solid rods of MIM material with
smaller particle sizes have been demonstrated to extrude well using
a conventional FFF machine with an extrusion diameter of 300
microns and a build material temperature of about 200 degrees
Celsius.
[0071] In general, the base powder for a build material may be
formed of any powder metallurgy material or other metal or ceramic
powder(s) suitable for sintering. While the particular process,
e.g., fused filament fabrication or stereolithography, may impose
dimensional constraints or preferences on the powdered material, it
appears that smaller particles are generally preferable. Various
techniques have been developed for mass producing fine metal
powders for use in MIM processes. In general, powders may be
prepared by crushing, grinding, atomization, chemical reactions, or
electrolytic deposition. Any such powders from five to ten microns
in size, or from one to twenty microns in size, or from about one
to fifty microns in size may be used as the powdered base of a
build material as contemplated herein. Smaller particles may also
be used where they are available and not prohibitively expensive,
and larger particles may be used provided that they are compatible
with print resolution and physical hardware (e.g., an exit nozzle
diameter) of a fabrication device. While not an absolute limit,
particle sizes of at least one order of magnitude smaller than an
exit orifice for an extruder appear to extrude well during FFF-type
extrusion processes. In one embodiment with a 300 .mu.m diameter
extrusion, a MIM metal powder with about 1-22 .mu.m mean diameter
may be used, although nano-sized powders can also or instead be
used.
[0072] While many suitable powder metallurgy materials are
currently available, this type of material--that combines a
powdered material for sintering and a binder for retaining shape
net shape and providing a rheology suitable for FFF extrusion--may
be further engineered in a number of ways to facilitate rapid
prototyping of sinterable green bodies as contemplated herein. For
example, as noted above a particle size of 100 microns or smaller
may be usefully employed. In one aspect, these particles may be
further mixed with smaller nanoparticles (generally at or below one
micron in size) of the same material to improve the rate of
sintering.
[0073] A wide range of metallic powders may usefully be employed.
Powders using stainless steel, titanium, titanium alloys,
high-nickel alloys, nickel copper alloys, magnetic alloys, and the
like are commercially available in MIM materials and suitable for
sintering. Powders of the elements titanium, vanadium, thorium,
niobium, tantalum, calcium, and uranium have been produced by
high-temperature reduction of the corresponding nitrides and
carbides. Iron, nickel, uranium, and beryllium submicrometer
powders have been demonstrated by reducing metallic oxalates and
formates. Exceedingly fine particles also have been prepared by
directing a stream of molten metal through a high-temperature
plasma jet or flame in order to atomize the material. Various
chemical and flame powdering processes may also or instead be used
to prevent serious degradation of particle surfaces by atmospheric
oxygen. More generally, any technique suitable for producing
powdered metals or other materials suitable for sintering may be
adapted for the fabrication of a powdered base material. As a
significant advantage, these techniques permit the processing and
use of relatively high melting temperature metals at the
significantly lower temperatures required for sintering. Thus, for
example, tungsten or steel alloys with melting temperatures over
1300 degrees Celsius can be usefully sintered at temperatures below
700 degrees Celsius.
[0074] Binders may generally be combined with a powdered build
material to provide a structure matrix that is suitable for
deposition (e.g., in a fused filament fabrication process), and
that will support a fabricated net shape after initial fabrication
through sintering. In contemporary MIM materials, the binding
system may include multiple binders that can be generally
classified as bulk binders and backbone binders (also referred to
as primary and secondary binders). The bulk binders can flow at
elevated temperatures, and retain the shape of an object after an
initial build in normal atmospheric conditions. The backbone binder
will provide binding later into the sintering process and helps
retain the shape as the sintering begins but before substantial
sintered strength has been achieved. The backbone binder(s) will be
the last to gas off during a sintering process. The binder may vary
according to the intended application. For example, the binder may
be formed of polymers with a lower glass transition temperature or
less viscosity for higher-resolution printing.
[0075] In general, the binder systems for commercially available
MIM material are not engineered for use in fused fabrication
filament processes, and appear to preferably employ polymer mixes
that are brittle at room temperature. In one aspect, the polymer
system of these commercially available feedstocks may be
supplemented with or replaced by a polymer binder system that is
flexible at room temperature so that the build material can be
formed into a filament and wound onto a spool for extended,
continuous feeding to a printer. Also, many different additives may
be included in traditional MIM feedstocks, such as lubricants and
release oils, to help injection molded parts through the molding
process. However, these may not be desired, and a technique may
involve removing them and adding components to the MIM binder that
make the MIM feedstock more printable.
[0076] The binder systems described herein may also or instead be
adapted for use with ceramic powders or other materials. The
rheology of the extrudate is largely independent of the material
that is loaded into the polymer binder system, and depends more on
particle geometry than particle composition. As such, any reference
to metal injection molding, MIM, or MIM materials should be
understood to include ceramics, metal oxides and other powders in a
MIM-style binder system, unless a different meaning is expressly
stated or otherwise clear from the context.
[0077] Other additives may also or instead be included in an
engineered material as contemplated herein. For example, the
material may incorporate a getter for oxygen or other contaminants
as described above, particularly when used as a support material.
As another example, the material may include a liquid phase or
other surface active additive to accelerate the sintering
process.
[0078] Any of the foregoing, and similar compositions may be
adapted for use as a build material in printing techniques such as
fused filament fabrication. For example, MIM feedstock materials,
when suitably shaped, can be extruded through nozzles typical of
commercially available FFF machines, and are generally flowable or
extrudable within typical operating temperatures (e.g., 160-250
degrees Celsius) of such machines. The working temperature range
may depend on the binder--e.g., some binders achieve appropriate
viscosities at about 205 degrees Celsius, while others achieve
appropriate viscosities at lower temperatures such as about 160-180
degrees Celsius. One of ordinary skill will recognize that these
ranges (and all ranges listed herein) are provided by way of
example and not of limitation.
[0079] Any of the foregoing metal injection molding materials, or
any other composition containing a base of powdered, sinterable
material in a binder system may be used as a build material 302 for
fused filament fabrication systems as contemplated herein. Other
adaptations of this basic composition may be made to render a build
material 302 suitable for stereolithography or other additive
fabrication techniques. The term metal injection molding material,
as used herein, is intended to include any such engineered
materials, as well as other fine powder bases such as ceramics in a
similar binder suitable for injection molding. Thus, where the term
metal injection molding or the commonly used abbreviation, MIM, is
used herein, this should be understood to include commercially
available metal injection molding materials, as well as other
powder and binder systems using powders other than, or in addition
to, metals and, thus, should be understood to include ceramics, and
all such materials are intended to fall within the scope of this
disclosure unless a different meaning is explicitly provided or
otherwise clear from the context. Also, any reference to "MIM
materials," "powder metallurgy materials," "MIM feedstocks," or the
like shall generally refer to any metal powder and/or ceramic
powder mixed with one or more binding materials or binder systems
as contemplated herein, unless a different meaning is explicitly
provided or otherwise clear from the context.
[0080] More generally, any powder and binder system forming a
sinterable build material with rheological properties suitable for
fused filament fabrication may be used in an additive fabrication
process as contemplated herein. Such a build material may generally
include a powdered material such as a metallic or ceramic powder
for forming a final part and a binder system. The binder system
will typically include one or more binders that retain a net shape
of the object 312 during processing into the final part. As
discussed above, the processing may include, e.g., debinding the
net shape to remove at least a portion of the one or more binders
and sintering the net shape to join and densify the powdered
material. While powdered metallurgy materials are discussed herein,
other powder and binder systems may also or instead be employed in
a fused filament fabrication process. Still more generally, it
should also be appreciated that other material systems may be
suitable for fabricating sinterable net shapes using fabrication
techniques such as stereolithography or binder jetting, some of
which are discussed in greater detail below.
[0081] A drive system 304 may include any suitable gears,
compression pistons, or the like for continuous or indexed feeding
of the build material 302 into the heating system 306. In another
aspect, the drive system 304 may use bellows or any other
collapsible or telescoping press to drive rods, billets, or similar
units of build material into the heating system 306. Similarly, a
piezoelectric or linear stepper drive may be used to advance a unit
of build media in an indexed fashion using discrete mechanical
increments of advancement in a non-continuous sequence of steps.
For more brittle MIM materials or the like, a fine-toothed drive
gear of a material such as a hard resin or plastic may be used to
grip the material without excessive cutting or stress
concentrations that might otherwise crack, strip, or otherwise
compromise the build material.
[0082] The heating system 306 may employ a variety of techniques to
heat a build material to a temperature within a working temperature
range where the build material 302 has suitable rheological
properties for extrusion in a fused filament fabrication process.
This working temperature range may vary according to the type of
build material 302, e.g., the constituent powdered material and
binder system, being heated by the heating system 306. Any heating
system 306 or combination of heating systems suitable for
maintaining a corresponding working temperature range in the build
material 302 where and as needed to drive the build material 302 to
and through the nozzle 310 may be suitably employed as a heating
system 306 as contemplated herein.
[0083] The robotics 308 may include any robotic components or
systems suitable for moving the nozzles 310 in a three-dimensional
path relative to the build plate 314 while extruding build material
302 in order to fabricate the object 312 from the build material
302 according to a computerized model of the object. A variety of
robotics systems are known in the art and suitable for use as the
robotics 308 contemplated herein. For example, the robotics 308 may
include a Cartesian coordinate robot or x-y-z robotic system
employing a number of linear controls to move independently in the
x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis within the build chamber 316.
Delta robots may also or instead be usefully employed, which can,
if properly configured, provide significant advantages in terms of
speed and stiffness, as well as offering the design convenience of
fixed motors or drive elements. Other configurations such as double
or triple delta robots can increase range of motion using multiple
linkages. More generally, any robotics suitable for controlled
positioning of a nozzle 310 relative to the build plate 314,
especially within a vacuum or similar environment, may be usefully
employed, including any mechanism or combination of mechanisms
suitable for actuation, manipulation, locomotion, and the like
within the build chamber 316.
[0084] The robotics 308 may position the nozzle 310 relative to the
build plate 314 by controlling movement of one or more of the
nozzle 310 and the build plate 314. For example, in an aspect, the
nozzle 310 is operably coupled to the robotics 308 such that the
robotics 308 position the nozzle 310 while the build plate 314
remains stationary. The build plate 314 may also or instead be
operably coupled to the robotics 308 such that the robotics 308
position the build plate 314 while the nozzle remains stationary.
Or some combination of these techniques may be employed, such as by
moving the nozzle 310 up and down for z-axis control, and moving
the build plate 314 within the x-y plane to provide x-axis and
y-axis control. In some such implementations, the robotics 308 may
translate the build plate 314 along one or more axes, and/or may
rotate the build plate 314. More generally, the robotics 308 may
form a robotic system operable to move the one or more nozzles 310
relative to the build plate 314.
[0085] It will be understood that a variety of arrangements and
techniques are known in the art to achieve controlled linear
movement along one or more axes, and/or controlled rotational
motion about one or more axes. The robotics 308 may, for example,
include a number of stepper motors to independently control a
position of the nozzle 310 or build plate 314 within the build
chamber 316 along each axis, e.g., an x-axis, a y-axis, and a
z-axis. More generally, the robotics 308 may include without
limitation various combinations of stepper motors, encoded DC
motors, gears, belts, pulleys, worm gears, threads, and the like.
Any such arrangement suitable for controllably positioning the
nozzle 310 or build plate 314 may be adapted for use with the
additive manufacturing system 300 described herein.
[0086] The nozzles 310 may include one or more nozzles for
extruding the build material 302 that has been propelled with the
drive system 304 and heated with the heating system 306. While a
single nozzle 310 and build material 302 is illustrated, it will be
understood that the nozzles 310 may include a number of nozzles
that extrude different types of material so that, for example, a
first nozzle 310 extrudes a sinterable build material while a
second nozzle 310 extrudes a support material in order to support
bridges, overhangs, and other structural features of the object 312
that would otherwise violate design rules for fabrication with the
build material 302. In another aspect, one of the nozzles 310 may
deposit an interface material for removable or breakaway support
structures that can be removed after sintering.
[0087] In one aspect, the nozzle 310 may include one or more
ultrasound transducers 330 as described herein. Ultrasound may be
usefully applied for a variety of purposes in this context. In one
aspect, the ultrasound energy may facilitate extrusion by
mitigating adhesion of a build material 302 to interior surfaces of
the nozzle 310, or improving layer-to-layer bonding by encouraging
mechanical mixing of material between adjacent layers.
[0088] In another aspect, the nozzle 310 may include an inlet gas,
e.g., an inert gas, to cool media at the moment it exits the nozzle
310. More generally, the nozzle 310 may include any cooling system
for applying a cooling fluid to a build material 302 as it exits
the nozzle 310. This gas jet may, for example, immediately stiffen
extruded material to facilitate extended bridging, larger
overhangs, or other structures that might otherwise require support
structures during fabrication. The inlet gas may also or instead
carry an abrasive such as dry ice particles for smoothing surfaces
of the object 312.
[0089] In another aspect, the nozzle 310 may include one or more
mechanisms to flatten a layer of deposited material and apply
pressure to bond the layer to an underlying layer. For example, a
heated nip roller, caster, or the like may follow the nozzle 310 in
its path through an x-y plane of the build chamber 316 to flatten
the deposited (and still pliable) layer. The nozzle 310 may also or
instead integrate a forming wall, planar surface, or the like to
additionally shape or constrain an extrudate as it is deposited by
the nozzle 310. The nozzle 310 may usefully be coated with a
non-stick material (which may vary according to the build material
302 being used) in order to facilitate more consistent shaping and
smoothing by this tool.
[0090] In general, the nozzle 310 may include a reservoir, a heater
(such as the heating system 306) configured to maintain a build
material 302 within the reservoir in a liquid or otherwise
extrudable form, and an outlet. Where the printer 301 includes
multiple nozzles 310, a second nozzle may usefully provide any of a
variety of additional build materials, support materials, interface
materials, and so forth.
[0091] For example, the second nozzle 310 may supply a support
material with debind and sintering shrinkage properties suitable
for maintaining support of an object during processing into a final
part. For example, this may include a material consisting of, e.g.,
the binder system for the sinterable build material without the
powdered material that sinters into the final object. In another
aspect, the support material may be formed of a wax, or some other
thermoplastic or other polymer that can be removed during
processing of a printed green body. This support material may, for
example, be used for overhang supports, as well as for top or side
supports, or any other suitable support structures to provide a
physical support during printing and subsequent sintering. It will
be understood that printing and sintering may impose different
support requirements. As such, different support materials and or
different support rules may be employed for each type of required
support. Additionally, where a print support is not required during
sintering, the print support may be removed after a print and
before sintering, while sintering supports would be left attached
to the green object until sintering is completed (or until the
object achieves a sufficient sinter strength to eliminate the need
for the sintering support structures).
[0092] In another aspect, the second nozzle (or a third nozzle) may
be used to provide an interface material. In one aspect, e.g.,
where the support material is a ceramic/binder system that debinds
and sinters into an unstructured powder, the support material may
also usefully serve as the interface material and form an interface
layer that does not sinter together with the build material 302 of
the object. In another aspect, the second nozzle (or a third
nozzle) may provide an interface material that is different from
the support material. This may, for example, include the binder
system of the build material 302 (or support material), along with
a ceramic or some other material that will not sinter under the
time and temperature conditions used to sinter the powdered
material in the build material 302 that forms the object 312. This
may also or instead include a material that forms a brittle
interface with the sintered part so that it can break away from the
final object easily after sintering. Where this interface material
does not sinter, it may be used in combination with a sinterable
support structure that can continue to provide structural support
during a sintering process.
[0093] The support material(s) may usefully integrate other
functional substances. For example, titanium may be added to the
support material as an oxygen getter to improve the build
environment without introducing any titanium into the fabricated
object. More generally, the support material (or an interface
material of a layer between the support material and the object
312) may include a constituent with a substantially greater
chemical affinity for oxygen than the build material 302, in order
to mitigate oxidation of the build material 302 during fabrication.
Other types of additives may also or instead be used to remove
contaminants. For example, a zirconium powder (or other strong
carbide former) may be added to the support material in order to
extract carbon contamination during sintering.
[0094] The object 312 may be any object suitable for fabrication
using the techniques contemplated herein. This may include
functional objects such as machine parts, aesthetic objects such as
sculptures, or any other type of objects, as well as combinations
of objects that can be fit within the physical constraints of the
build chamber 316 and build plate 314. Some structures such as
large bridges and overhangs cannot be fabricated directly using FFF
because there is no underlying physical surface onto which a
material can be deposited. In these instances, a support structure
313 may be fabricated, preferably of a soluble or otherwise readily
removable material, in order to support a corresponding feature of
the object 312. An interface layer may also be fabricated or
otherwise formed between the support structure 313 and the object
312 to facilitate separation of the two structures after sintering
or other processing.
[0095] The build plate 314 may be formed of any surface or
substance suitable for receiving deposited metal or other materials
from the nozzles 310. The surface of the build plate 314 may be
rigid and substantially planar. In one aspect, the build plate 314
may be heated, e.g., resistively or inductively, to control a
temperature of the build chamber 316 or a surface upon which the
object 312 is being fabricated. This may, for example, improve
adhesion, prevent thermally induced deformation or failure, and
facilitate relaxation of stresses within the object 312. In another
aspect, the build plate 314 may be a deformable structure or
surface that can bend or otherwise physically deform in order to
detach from a rigid object 312 formed thereon. The build plate 314
may be movable within the build chamber 316, e.g., by a positioning
assembly (e.g., the same robotics 308 that position the nozzle 310
or different robotics). For example, the build plate 314 may be
movable along a z-axis (e.g., up and down--toward and away from the
nozzle 310), or along an x-y plane (e.g., side to side, for
instance in a pattern that forms the tool path or that works in
conjunction with movement of the nozzle 310 to form the tool path
for fabricating the object 312), or some combination of these. In
an aspect, the build plate 314 is rotatable.
[0096] The build plate 314 may include a temperature control system
for maintaining or adjusting a temperature of at least a portion of
the build plate 314. The temperature control system may be wholly
or partially embedded within the build plate 314. The temperature
control system may include without limitation one or more of a
heater, coolant, a fan, a blower, or the like. In implementations,
temperature may be controlled by induction heating of the metallic
printed part. The build plate 314 may usefully incorporate a
thermal control system 317 for controllably heating and/or cooling
the build plate 314 during a printing process.
[0097] In general, the build chamber 316 houses the build plate 314
and the nozzle 310, and maintains a build environment suitable for
fabricating the object 312 on the build plate 314 from the build
material 302. Where appropriate for the build material 302, this
may include a vacuum environment, an oxygen depleted environment, a
heated environment, an inert gas environment, and so forth. The
build chamber 316 may be any chamber suitable for containing the
build plate 314, an object 312, and any other components of the
printer 301 used within the build chamber 316 to fabricate the
object 312.
[0098] The printer 301 may include a pump 324 coupled to the build
chamber 316 and operable to create a vacuum within the build
chamber 316 or otherwise filter or handle air during a printing
process. While powdered metallurgy materials and other
powder/binder systems contemplated herein will not typically
require a vacuum environment, a vacuum may nonetheless be used to
reduce contaminants or otherwise control the operating environment
for a printing process. A number of suitable vacuum pumps are known
in the art and may be adapted for use as the pump 324 contemplated
herein. The build chamber 316 may form an environmentally sealed
chamber so that it can be evacuated with the pump 324, or so that
temperature and air flow through the build chamber 316 can be
controlled. The environmental sealing may include thermal sealing,
e.g., to prevent an excess of heat transfer from heated components
within the build volume to an external environment, and vice-versa.
The seal of the build chamber 316 may also or instead include a
pressure seal to facilitate pressurization of the build chamber
316, e.g., to provide a positive pressure that resists infiltration
by surrounding oxygen and other ambient gases or the like. To
maintain the seal of the build chamber 316, any openings in an
enclosure of the build chamber 316, e.g., for build material feeds,
electronics, and so on, may include suitably corresponding vacuum
seals or the like.
[0099] The build chamber 316 may include a temperature control
system 328 for maintaining or adjusting a temperature of at least a
portion of a volume of the build chamber 316 (e.g., the build
volume). The temperature control system 328 may include without
limitation one or more of a heater, a coolant, a fan, a blower, or
the like. The temperature control system 328 may use a fluid or the
like as a heat exchange medium for transferring heat as desired
within the build chamber 316. The temperature control system 328
may also or instead move air (e.g., circulate air) within the build
chamber 316 to control temperature, to provide a more uniform
temperature, or to transfer heat within the build chamber 316.
[0100] The temperature control system 328, or any of the
temperature control systems described herein (e.g., a temperature
control system of the heating system 306 or a temperature control
system of the build plate 314) may include one or more active
devices such as resistive elements that convert electrical current
into heat, Peltier effect devices that heat or cool in response to
an applied current, or any other thermoelectric heating and/or
cooling devices. Thus, the temperature control systems discussed
herein may include a heater that provides active heating to the
components of the printer 301, a cooling element that provides
active cooling to the components of the printer 301, or a
combination of these. The temperature control systems may be
coupled in a communicating relationship with the control system 318
in order for the control system 318 to controllably impart heat to
or remove heat from the components of the printer 301. It will be
further understood that the temperature control system 328 for the
build chamber 316, the temperature control system of the heating
system 306, and the temperature control system of the build plate
314, may be included in a singular temperature control system
(e.g., included as part of the control system 318 or otherwise in
communication with the control system 318) or they may be separate
and independent temperature control systems. Thus, for example, a
heated build plate or a heated nozzle may contribute to heating of
the build chamber 316 and form a component of a temperature control
system 328 for the build chamber 316.
[0101] In general, a control system 318 may include a controller or
the like configured by computer executable code to control
operation of the printer 301. The control system 318 may be
operable to control the components of the additive manufacturing
system 300, such as the nozzle 310, the build plate 314, the
robotics 308, the various temperature and pressure control systems,
and any other components of the additive manufacturing system 300
described herein to fabricate the object 312 from the build
material 302 based on a three-dimensional model 322 or any other
computerized model describing the object 312. The control system
318 may include any combination of software and/or processing
circuitry suitable for controlling the various components of the
additive manufacturing system 300 described herein including
without limitation microprocessors, microcontrollers,
application-specific integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays,
and any other digital and/or analog components, as well as
combinations of the foregoing, along with inputs and outputs for
transceiving control signals, drive signals, power signals, sensor
signals, and the like. In one aspect, the control system 318 may
include a microprocessor or other processing circuitry with
sufficient computational power to provide related functions such as
executing an operating system, providing a graphical user interface
(e.g., to a display coupled to the control system 318 or printer
301), converting three-dimensional models 322 into tool
instructions, and operating a web server or otherwise hosting
remote users and/or activity through a network interface 362 for
communication through a network 360.
[0102] The control system 318 may include a processor and memory,
as well as any other co-processors, signal processors, inputs and
outputs, digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters, and
other processing circuitry useful for controlling and/or monitoring
a fabrication process executing on the printer 301, e.g., by
providing instructions to control operation of the printer 301. To
this end, the control system 318 may be coupled in a communicating
relationship with a supply of the build material 302, the drive
system 304, the heating system 306, the nozzles 310, the build
plate 314, the robotics 308, and any other instrumentation or
control components associated with the build process such as
temperature sensors, pressure sensors, oxygen sensors, vacuum
pumps, and so forth.
[0103] The control system 318 may generate machine-ready code for
execution by the printer 301 to fabricate the object 312 from the
three-dimensional model 322. In another aspect, the machine-ready
code may be generated by an independent computing device 364 based
on the three-dimensional model 322 and communicated to the control
system 318 through a network 360, which may include a local area
network or an internetwork such as the Internet, and the control
system 318 may interpret the machine-ready code and generate
corresponding control signals to components of the printer 301. The
control system 318 may deploy a number of strategies to improve the
resulting physical object structurally or aesthetically. For
example, the control system 318 may use plowing, ironing, planing,
or similar techniques where the nozzle 310 is run over existing
layers of deposited material, e.g., to level the material, remove
passivation layers, or otherwise prepare the current layer for a
next layer of material and/or shape and trim the material into a
final form. The nozzle 310 may include a non-stick surface to
facilitate this plowing process, and the nozzle 310 may be heated
and/or vibrated (using the ultrasound transducer) to improve the
smoothing effect. In one aspect, these surface preparation steps
may be incorporated into the initially-generated machine ready code
such as g-code derived from a three-dimensional model and used to
operate the printer 301 during fabrication. In another aspect, the
printer 301 may dynamically monitor deposited layers and determine,
on a layer-by-layer basis, whether additional surface preparation
is necessary or helpful for successful completion of the object
312. Thus, in one aspect, there is disclosed herein a printer 301
that monitors a metal FFF process and deploys a surface preparation
step with a heated or vibrating non-stick nozzle when a prior layer
of the metal material is unsuitable for receiving additional metal
material.
[0104] In general, a three-dimensional model 322 or other
computerized model of the object 312 may be stored in a database
320 such as a local memory of a computing device used as the
control system 318, or a remote database accessible through a
server or other remote resource, or in any other computer-readable
medium accessible to the control system 318. The control system 318
may retrieve a particular three-dimensional model 322 in response
to user input, and generate machine-ready instructions for
execution by the printer 301 to fabricate the corresponding object
312. This may include the creation of intermediate models, such as
where a CAD model is converted into an STL model, or other
polygonal mesh or other intermediate representation, which can in
turn be processed to generate machine instructions such as g-code
for fabrication of the object 312 by the printer 301.
[0105] In operation, to prepare for the additive manufacturing of
an object 312, a design for the object 312 may first be provided to
a computing device 364. The design may be a three-dimensional model
322 included in a CAD file or the like. The computing device 364
may in general include any devices operated autonomously or by
users to manage, monitor, communicate with, or otherwise interact
with other components in the additive manufacturing system 300.
This may include desktop computers, laptop computers, network
computers, tablets, smart phones, smart watches, or any other
computing device that can participate in the system as contemplated
herein. In one aspect, the computing device 364 is integral with
the printer 301.
[0106] The computing device 364 may include the control system 318
as described herein or a component of the control system 318. The
computing device 364 may also or instead supplement or be provided
in lieu of the control system 318. Thus, unless explicitly stated
to the contrary or otherwise clear from the context, any of the
functions of the computing device 364 may be performed by the
control system 318 and vice-versa. In another aspect, the computing
device 364 is in communication with or otherwise coupled to the
control system 318, e.g., through a network 360, which may be a
local area network that locally couples the computing device 364 to
the control system 318 of the printer 301, or an internetwork such
as the Internet that remotely couples the computing device 364 in a
communicating relationship with the control system 318.
[0107] The computing device 364 (and the control system 318) may
include a processor 366 and a memory 368 to perform the functions
and processing tasks related to management of the additive
manufacturing system 300 as described herein. In general, the
memory 368 may contain computer code that can be executed by the
processor 366 to perform the various steps described herein, and
the memory may further store data such as sensor data and the like
generated by other components of the additive manufacturing system
300.
[0108] In general, a fabrication process such as fused filament
fabrication implies, or expressly includes, a set of design rules
to accommodate physical limitations of a fabrication device and a
build material. For example, an overhang cannot be fabricated
without positioning a support structure underneath. While the
design rules for a process such as fused filament fabrication (FFF)
will apply to fabrication of a green body using FFF techniques as
described herein, the green body will also be subject to various
debinding and sintering rules. This may, for example, include a
structure to prevent or minimize drag on a floor while a part
shrinks during sintering (which may be 20% or more depending on the
composition of the green body). Similarly, certain supports are
required during sintering that are different than the supports
required during fused filament fabrication. Where parts are nested,
such as a pair of overlapping cantilevered beams, it may also be
important for intervening support structures to shrink slightly
more quickly than the supported structures in order to prevent
capturing and potentially deforming the cantilevers. As another
example, injection molding typically aims for uniform wall
thickness to reduce variability in debinding and/or sintering
behaviors, with thinner walls being preferred. The system
contemplated herein will apply these disparate sets of design
rules--those for the rapid prototyping system (e.g., fused filament
fabrication), those for debinding, and those for sintering
process--to a CAD model that is being prepared for fabrication so
that an object may be fabricated from the CAD model and further
processed while substantially retaining a desired or intended net
shape.
[0109] These rules may also be combined under certain conditions.
For example, the support structures required for an overhang during
fabrication must resist the force of an extrusion/deposition
process used to fabricate a bottom surface of the overhang, whereas
the support structure during sintering only needs to resist the
forces of gravity during the baking process. Thus, there may be two
separate supports that are removed at different times during a
fabrication process: the fabrication supports that are configured
to resist the force of a fabrication process which may be
configured to breakaway from a loose mechanical coupling to a green
body, and sintering supports that may be less extensive, and only
need to resist the gravitation forces on a body during sintering.
These latter supports are preferably coupled to the object through
a non-sinterable layer to permit easy removal from the densified
final object. In another aspect, the fabrication supports may be
fabricated from binder without a powder or other fill so that they
completely disappear during a sintering process.
[0110] During fabrication, detailed data may be gathered for
subsequent use and analysis. This may, for example, include data
from a sensor and computer vision system that identifies errors,
variations, or the like that occur in each layer of an object 312.
Similarly, tomography or the like may be used to detect and measure
layer-to-layer interfaces, aggregate part dimensions, and so forth.
This data may be gathered and delivered with the object to an end
user as a digital twin 340 of the object 312, e.g., so that the end
user can evaluate how variations and defects might affect use of
the object 312. In addition to spatial/geometric analysis, the
digital twin 340 may log process parameters including, e.g.,
aggregate statistics such as weight of material used, time of
print, variance of build chamber temperature, and so forth, as well
as chronological logs of any process parameters of interest such as
volumetric deposition rate, material temperature, environment
temperature, and so forth.
[0111] The digital twin 340 may also usefully log a thermal history
of the build material 302, e.g., on a voxel-by-voxel or other
volumetric basis within the completed object 312. Thus, in one
aspect, the digital twin 340 may store a spatial temporal map of
thermal history for build material that is incorporated into the
object 312, which may be used, e.g., to estimate an onset of early
sintering, loss of binder system, or other possible thermal effects
that might accumulate during a fabrication process. The control
system 318 may use this information during fabrication, and may be
configured to adjust a thermal parameter of a fused filament
fabrication system or the like during fabrication according to the
spatial temporal map of thermal history. For example, the control
system 318 may usefully cool a build chamber or control an
extrusion temperature to maintain a more uniform degree of thermal
debind throughout the fabricated object 312.
[0112] The printer 301 may include a camera 350 or other optical
device. In one aspect, the camera 350 may be used to create the
digital twin 340 or provide spatial data for the digital twin 340.
The camera 350 may more generally facilitate machine vision
functions or facilitate remote monitoring of a fabrication process.
Video or still images from the camera 350 may also or instead be
used to dynamically correct a print process, or to visualize where
and how automated or manual adjustments should be made, e.g., where
an actual printer output is deviating from an expected output. The
camera 350 can be used to verify a position of the nozzle 310
and/or build plate 314 prior to operation. In general, the camera
350 may be positioned within the build chamber 316, or positioned
external to the build chamber 316, e.g., where the camera 350 is
aligned with a viewing window formed within a chamber wall.
[0113] The additive manufacturing system 300 may include one or
more sensors 370. The sensor 370 may communicate with the control
system 318, e.g., through a wired or wireless connection (e.g.,
through a data network 360). The sensor 370 may be configured to
detect progress of fabrication of the object 312, and to send a
signal to the control system 318 where the signal includes data
characterizing progress of fabrication of the object 312. The
control system 318 may be configured to receive the signal, and to
adjust at least one parameter of the additive manufacturing system
300 in response to the detected progress of fabrication of the
object 312. The one or more sensors 370 may include without
limitation one or more of a contact profilometer, a non-contact
profilometer, an optical sensor, a laser, a temperature sensor,
motion sensors, an imaging device, a camera, an encoder, an
infrared detector, a volume flow rate sensor, a weight sensor, a
sound sensor, a light sensor, a sensor to detect a presence (or
absence) of an object, and so on.
[0114] As discussed herein, the control system 318 may adjust a
parameter of the additive manufacturing system 300 in response to
the sensor 370. The adjusted parameter may include a temperature of
the build material 302, a temperature of the build chamber 316 (or
a portion of a volume of the build chamber 316), and a temperature
of the build plate 314. The parameter may also or instead include a
pressure such as an atmospheric pressure within the build chamber
316. The parameter may also or instead include an amount or
concentration of an additive for mixing with the build material
such as a strengthening additive, a colorant, an embrittlement
material, and so forth.
[0115] The nozzle 310 may be configured to transmit a signal to the
control system 318 indicative of any sensed condition or state such
as a conductivity of the build material 302, a type of the build
material 302, a diameter of an outlet of the nozzle 310, a force
exerted by the drive system 304 to extrude build material 302, a
temperature of the heating system 306, or any other useful
information. The control system 318 may receive any such signal and
control an aspect of the build process in response.
[0116] In one aspect, the one or more sensors 370 may include a
sensor system configured to volumetrically monitor a temperature of
a build material 302, that is, to capture temperature at specific
locations within a volume of the build material 302 before
extrusion, during extrusion, after extrusion, or some combination
of these. This may include surface measurements where available,
based on any contact or non-contact temperature measurement
technique. This may also or instead include an estimation of the
temperature within an interior of the build material 302 at
different points along the feed path and within the completed
object. Using this accumulated information, a thermal history may
be created that includes the temperature over time for each voxel
of build material within the completed object 312, all of which may
be stored in the digital twin 340 described below and used for
in-process control of thermal parameters during printing, control
of downstream processing such as debinding and sintering, or
post-process review and analysis of the object 312.
[0117] The additive manufacturing system 300 may include, or be
connected in a communicating relationship with, a network interface
362. The network interface 362 may include any combination of
hardware and software suitable for coupling the control system 318
and other components of the additive manufacturing system 300 in a
communicating relationship to a remote computer (e.g., the
computing device 364) through a data network 360. By way of example
and not limitation, this may include electronics for a wired or
wireless Ethernet connection operating according to the IEEE 802.11
standard (or any variation thereof), or any other short or long
range wireless networking components or the like. This may include
hardware for short range data communications such as Bluetooth or
an infrared transceiver, which may be used to couple to a local
area network or the like that is in turn coupled to a wide area
data network such as the Internet. This may also or instead include
hardware/software for a WiMAX connection or a cellular network
connection (using, e.g., CDMA, GSM, LTE, or any other suitable
protocol or combination of protocols). Consistently, the control
system 318 may be configured to control participation by the
additive manufacturing system 300 in any network 360 to which the
network interface 362 is connected, such as by autonomously
connecting to the network 360 to retrieve printable content, or
responding to a remote request for status or availability of the
printer 301.
[0118] Other useful features may be integrated into the printer 301
described above. For example, the printer 301 may include a solvent
source and applicator, and the solvent (or other material) may be
applied to a specific (e.g., controlled by the printer 301) surface
of the object 312 during fabrication, such as to modify surface
properties. The added material may, for example, intentionally
oxidize or otherwise modify a surface of the object 312 at a
particular location or over a particular area in order to provide a
desired electrical, thermal, optical, mechanical, or aesthetic
property. This capability may be used to provide aesthetic features
such as text or graphics, or to provide functional features such as
a window for admitting RF signals. This may also be used to apply a
release layer or modify an existing support or object layer for
breakaway support.
[0119] In some implementations, the computing device 364 or the
control system 318 may identify or create a support structure 313
that supports a portion of the object 312 during fabrication. In
general, the support structure 313 may be a sacrificial structure
that is removed after fabrication has been completed. In some such
implementations, the computing device 364 may identify a technique
for manufacturing the support structure 313 based on factors such
as the object 312 being manufactured, the materials being used to
manufacture the object 312, and user input. The support structure
313 may be fabricated from a high-temperature polymer or other
material that will form a weak bond to the build material 302. In
another aspect, an interface between the support structure 313 and
the object 312 may be manipulated to weaken the interlayer bond to
facilitate the fabrication of breakaway support.
[0120] The printer 301 may also usefully integrate a supplemental
tool 380 such as a subtractive fabrication tool (e.g., a drill, a
milling tool, or other multi-axis controllable tool) for removing
material from the object 312 that deviates from an expected
physical output based on the three-dimensional model 322 used to
fabricate the object 312. A milling tool, for example, may be
configured for shaping the build material on the build plate 314
after extrusion from the extruder 390 and prior to sintering of the
object 314. While combinations of additive and subtractive
technologies have been contemplated, the use of MIM materials
provides a unique advantage when subtractive shaping is performed
on a green object after net shape forming but before sintering (or
debinding), where the object 112 is relatively soft and workable.
This permits quick and easy removal of physically observable
defects and printing artifacts before the object 112 is sintered
into a metal object. This may also include imposing certain
features or structures onto the object, either according to the
three-dimensional model 322 or some other manual specification or
the like. For example, this may include tapping threads into the
object, or creating through holes or other structures that can be
readily imposed by a subtractive drilling, grinding, routing, or
other subtractive process. This approach may be particularly
advantageous where the feature of interest, e.g., a horizontal
threaded through-hole, might be more difficult to accurately
fabricate with additive manufacturing. Where subtractive
fabrication is specified within the part, the additive model may
also include adequate layer thicknesses and infill, e.g., in a
fused filament fabrication process, to provide adequate material
clearances around the subtracted feature.
[0121] In another aspect, the supplemental tool 380 may be a tool
for fabricating overhead supports as described herein. For example,
the supplemental tool 380 may include a supplemental additive
fabrication system configured to form a support structure above a
surface of an object, the surface being upwardly vertically exposed
and the support structure including a superstructure coupled to the
surface to support a downward vertical load on the object. Suitable
overhead support structures are described by way of example with
reference to FIGS. 9-10 below.
[0122] In one general aspect, the drive system 304, the heating
system 306, the nozzle 310 and any other complementary components
may form an extruder 390 for extruding one of the materials
described herein, and the printer 300 may include any number of
such extruders 390 according to the number and type of materials
used in a fabrication process. Thus, there is generally disclosed
herein a printer 300 for three-dimensional fabrication, the printer
400 including a build plate 314, a first extruder 390, a second
extruder 390, a robotic system including robotics 308 operable to
move the first extruder 390 and the second extruder 390 relative to
the build plate 314, and a processor (e.g., the processor of the
control system 318). The first extruder 390 may be coupled to a
first source of a build material 302 for fabricating an object 312,
where the build material 302 includes a powdered material for
forming the object 312 and a binder system including one or more
binders, where the one or more binders resist deformation of a net
shape of the object 312 during processing of the object into a
final part. The second extruder 390 may be coupled to a second
source of an interface material for fabricating an interface layer
between the object 312 and an adjacent surface of a support
structure 313, where the interface material resists bonding of the
object 312 to the support structure 313 during sintering. The
processor may be configured by computer executable code to move the
robotic system along a build path relative to the build plate 314
while extruding from at least one of the first extruder 390 and the
second extruder 390 to fabricate the object 312 on the build plate
314 based on a computerized model (e.g., the three-dimensional
model 322) of the object 314.
[0123] The first extruder 390 may be the second extruder 390, e.g.,
where the printer 300 uses material swapping to switch between a
build material and an interface material for the single extruder.
The printer 300 may also or instead include a third extruder 390
coupled to a third source of a support material for fabricating the
support structure 313, or to a second build material for use in
multi-material fabrication. In another aspect, the support
structure 313 may be formed of the same material as the object 312,
e.g., where the processor is configured to form the support
structure 313 by extruding the build material 302 from the first
extruder 390.
[0124] FIG. 4 shows an additive manufacturing system using binder
jetting. As contemplated herein, binder jetting techniques can be
used to deposit and bind metallic particles or the like in a net
shape for debinding and sintering into a final part. Where support
structures are required to mitigate deformation of the object
during the debinding and/or sintering, an interface layer may be
formed between the support structures and portions of the object in
order to avoid bonding of the support structure to the object
during sintering.
[0125] In general, a printer 400 for binder jetting may include a
powder bed 402, a spreader 404 (e.g., a roller) movable across the
powder bed 402, a print head 406 movable across the powder bed 402,
and a controller 408 in electrical communication with the print
head 406. The powder bed 402 can include, for example, a packed
quantity of a powder 410 of microparticles of a first metal. The
spreader 404 can be movable across the powder bed 402 to spread a
layer of powder 410 from a supply 412 of a powdered material across
the powder bed 402. In one aspect, the spreader 404 may be a
bi-directional spreader configured to spread powder from the supply
412 in one direction, and from a second supply (not shown) on an
opposing side of the powder bed 402 in a return direction in order
to speed the processing time for individual layers.
[0126] The print head 406 can define a discharge orifice and, in
certain implementations, can be actuated (e.g., through delivery of
an electric current to a piezoelectric element in mechanical
communication with the binder 414) to dispense a binder 414 through
the discharge orifice to the layer of powder spread across the
powder bed 402. The binder 414 can include a carrier and
nanoparticles of a second metal dispersed in the carrier and, when
dispersed onto the powder layer, can fill a substantial portion of
void space of the powder 410 in the layer such that the
nanoparticles of the binder 414 are dispersed among the
nanoparticles of the powder 410 in the layer. The nanoparticles of
the binder 414 can have a lower sinter temperature than the
microparticles of the powder 410, and the distribution of
nanoparticles throughout the microparticles in the powder bed 402
can facilitate formation of sinter necks in situ in a
three-dimensional object 416 in the powder bed 402. As compared to
a three-dimensional object without such sinter necks, the
three-dimensional object 416 with sinter necks can have greater
strength and, therefore, be less prone to sagging or other
deformation as the three-dimensional object 416 is subject to
subsequent processing to form a final part.
[0127] The supply 412 of the powdered material may provide any
material suitable for use as a build material as contemplated
herein, such as a sinterable powder of material selected for a
final part to be formed from the object 416. The supply 412 and the
spreader 404 may supply the powdered material to the powder bed
402, e.g., by lifting the powder 410 and displacing the powder to
the powder bed 402 using the spreader 404, which may also spread
the powdered material across the powder bed 402 in a substantially
uniform layer for binding with the print head 406.
[0128] In use, the controller 408 can actuate the print head 406 to
deliver the binder 414 from the print head 406 to each layer of the
powder 410 in a controlled two-dimensional pattern as the print
head 406 moves across the powder bed 402. It should be appreciated
that the movement of the print head 406 and the actuation of the
print head 406 to deliver the binder 414 can be done in
coordination with movement of the spreader 404 across the print
bed. For example, the spreader 404 can spread a layer of the powder
410 across the print bed, and the print head 406 can deliver the
binder 414 in a controlled two-dimensional pattern to the layer of
the powder 410 spread across the print bed to form a layer of a
three-dimensional object 416. These steps can be repeated (e.g.,
with controlled two-dimensional pattern for each respective layer)
in sequence to form subsequent layers until, ultimately, the
three-dimensional object 416 is formed in the powder bed 402. Thus,
the printer 400 may be configured to apply a binder 414 to a top
surface 415 of the powdered material (e.g., the powder 410) in the
powder bed 402 according to a computerized model of the object 416.
The printer 400 may more specifically be configured to apply the
binder 414 according to a two-dimensional cross section of the
computerized model and to apply a second binder (which may be the
binder 414 for the object) in a second pattern to bind other
regions of the powdered material to form a support structure 420
adjacent to at least one surface of the object 416. This may, for
example, be based on a second computerized model of a sinter
support for the object, e.g., to support various features of the
object 416 against collapse or other deformation during sintering.
Where an interface layer 422 is used, the binder and the second
binder may be a substantially similar or identical binder system
deposited from a single print head.
[0129] In certain implementations, the additive manufacturing
system can further include a heater 418 in thermal communication
with the powder bed 402. For example, the heater 418 can be in
conductive thermal communication with the powder bed 402. As a
specific example, the heater 418 can be a resistance heater
embedded in one or more walls defining a volume of the powder bed
402. Additionally, or alternatively, the heater 418 can be an
induction heater.
[0130] The heater 418 can be controlled (e.g., through electrical
communication with the controller 408) to heat the
three-dimensional object 416 in the powder bed 402 to a target
temperature (e.g., greater than about 100 degrees Celsius and less
than about 600 degrees Celsius). For example, in instances in which
the nanoparticles sinter at a lower temperature than the
microparticles, the target temperature can be greater than a
sintering temperature of the nanoparticles and less than a
sintering temperature of the microparticles. It should be
appreciated that, at such a target temperature, the nanoparticles
of the binder 414 can sinter while the microparticles remain
relatively unsintered. Because the nanoparticles are selectively
distributed in the powder bed 402, through the controlled
two-dimensional pattern of the binder 414 in each layer of the
three-dimensional object 416, such preferential sintering of the
nanoparticles in the powder bed 402 can produce sinter necks
throughout the three-dimensional object 416. In general, the
presence of these sinter necks throughout the three-dimensional
object 416 strengthens the three-dimensional object 416. The
strengthened three-dimensional object 416 can be removed from the
powder bed 402 and subjected to one or more finishing process with
a reduced likelihood of deformation or other defects, as compared
to a three-dimensional object without sinter necks.
[0131] While the technique described above may facilitate improved
sintering properties in a green part or other pre-sintered net
shape object, structural support may nonetheless be required. In
such instances, a support structure 420 may be fabricated under the
three-dimensional object 416 to provide support against drooping or
other deformation during sintering. In these instances, a
deposition tool 460 may be configured to apply an interface
material at an interface between the support structure 420 and the
object 416 that resists bonding of the support structure 420 to the
object 416 during sintering at sintering temperatures suitable for
the powder 410. Thus, the deposition tool 460 may be used to form
an interface layer 422 between the support structure 420 and the
object 416, e.g., by inhibiting or preventing sintering of powder
410 from the powder bed 402 that remains between the support
structure 420 and the object 416 when sintering begins. In general,
the deposition tool 460 may be a jetting print head or any other
tool or combination of tools suitable for depositing a
corresponding layer of material in a controlled pattern to form the
interface layer 422. The deposition tool 460 may, for example,
deposit a colloidal suspension of small (relative to the powder
410) nano-particles of a high-temperature sintering material (also
relative to the powder 410). For example, the powder 410 may be a
metallic powder such as a sinterable metal powder with a mean
particle size of at least fifteen microns, or mean particle size of
about ten to thirty-five microns, and the deposition tool 460 may
deposit a colloidal suspension of ceramic particles sized to
infiltrate the sinterable powder in a surface of the support
structure 420 adjacent to the object 416. The ceramic particles
may, for example, have a mean particle size of one micron or less,
or at least one order of magnitude smaller than a similarly
measured mean particle size of the sinterable powder. These smaller
particles may infiltrate the powder 410 in the interface layer 422
and form a barrier to formation of necks between the particles of
the powder 410.
[0132] In another aspect, the interface material may include a
layer of ceramic particles deposited at a surface of the support
structure 420 adjacent to the object 416. These ceramic particles
may be solidified, e.g., in a binder or the like to prevent
displacement by subsequent layers of the sinterable powder, thus
forming a sinter-resistant ceramic layer between the support
structure 420 and the object 416. The ceramic particles may, for
example, be deposited in a carrier that gels upon contact with the
sinterable powder in the powder bed 402, or in a curable carrier,
where a curing system such as a light source or heat source is
configured to cure the curable carrier substantially concurrently
with deposition on the sinterable powder, e.g., to prevent
undesired infiltration into any adjacent regions of the support
structure 420 or the object 416. In another aspect, the interface
material may include a material that remains as an interface layer
physically separating the support structure from the object after
debind and into a thermal sintering cycle, e.g., where a ceramic
powder layer is deposited and cured into position before another
layer of powder 410 is spread over the powder bed 402. In one
aspect, the interface material may be deposited in an intermittent
pattern such as an array of non-touching hexagons between the
support structure 420 and the object 416 to create a corresponding
pattern of gaps between the support structure and the object after
sintering. This latter structure may usefully weaken a mechanical
coupling between the support structure 420 and the object 416 to
facilitate removal of the support structure 420 after
sintering.
[0133] Other suitable techniques for forming a sinter-resistant
layer on a sinterable three-dimensional object are described by way
of non-limiting examples, in Khoshnevis, et al., "Metallic part
fabrication using selective inhibition sintering (SIS)," Rapid
Prototyping Journal, Vol. 18:2, pp. 144-153 (2012) and U.S. Pat.
No. 7,291,242 to Khoshnevis, each of which is hereby incorporated
by reference in its entirety. By way of non-limiting example,
suitable techniques for inhibiting sintering on a surface of an
object include the use of a ceramic as a macroscopic mechanical
inhibitor, an application of lithium chloride and aluminum sulfate
as microscopic mechanical inhibitors, and an application of
sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide as chemical inhibitors. More
generally, any technique for mechanically, chemically or otherwise
inhibiting sintering may be usefully employed to create an
interface layer 422 within the powder bed 410 to facilitate
post-sintering separation of the object 416 and the support
structure 420.
[0134] A variety of useful material systems may be adapted for use
in a printer 400 that uses binder jetting to fabricate an interface
layer between a support structure and an object. For example, the
interface material may usefully contain a soluble metal salt that
transforms to a ceramic upon dehydration and heating, such as a
salt containing at least one of a hydroxide, a chloride, a sulfate,
a nitrate, an acetate, and a stearate. The interface material may
also or instead include an aluminum, and the interface material may
include at least one of zirconium, yttrium, silicon, titanium,
iron, magnesium, and calcium. In another aspect, the binder may
include a secondary infiltrant selected to modify properties of the
final part, such as at least one of a carbon, a boron, and a metal
salt.
[0135] FIG. 5 shows a stereolithography system. The
stereolithography system 500 can be used to form a
three-dimensional object 502 from a resin 504 by selectively
exposing the resin 504 to activation energy from an activation
light source 506. The resin 504 can include particles suspended in
a plurality of binders, which can include a first binder and a
second binder different from the first binder and in a mixture with
the first binder. For example, the first binder can be
substantially non-reactive under exposure to wavelengths of light
sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder such that
the second binder can undergo crosslinking and/or polymerization
locally within the stereolithography system 500 to form a layer of
an object and, through layer-by-layer exposure of the second binder
to activation light, ultimately form a green part, such as the
three-dimensional object 502. As also described in greater detail
below, the first binder can have sufficient strength to support a
green part formed from the resin 504 and, additionally or
alternatively, can be extractable (e.g., through a first debinding
process) from the three-dimensional object 502 to leave behind the
crosslinked and/or polymerized second binder and the metal
particles suspended in the second binder. The second binder, as
further described below, can be removed from the particles though a
second debinding process, and the particles can undergo subsequent
processing (e.g., sintering) to form a finished part from the
three-dimensional object 502. Additionally, or alternatively, the
second binder can be removed from the first binder and/or from the
particles through the second debinding process. Thus, more
generally, the first debinding processes and the second debinding
processes described herein should be understood to occur in any
order, unless otherwise indicated or made clear from the
context.
[0136] The stereolithography system 500 can be an inverted system
including a media source 506 and a build plate 508. In use, the
media source 506 can carry the resin 504, and the build plate 508
can move in a direction away from the media source 508 as the
three-dimensional object 502 is built through layer-by-layer
exposure of the second binder in the resin 504 to activation light.
For example, the stereolithography system 500 can include a build
chamber 510 defining a working volume 512, in which the media
source 506 and the build plate 508 can be disposed, and the
stereolithography system 500 can include an activation light source
514 positioned to direct activation light, as described in greater
detail below, into the working volume 512 in a direction toward the
media source 506 and the build plate 508. Continuing with this
example, light from the activation light source 514 can be
controlled to be incident on the resin 504 carried by the media
source 506 to cross-link and/or polymerize the second binder in the
resin 504 in a predetermined pattern to form a layer of the
three-dimensional object 502 on a substrate (e.g., the build plate
508 or a previous layer of the three-dimensional object 502) while
the inverted orientation of the stereolithography system 500 can
facilitate draining excess resin 504 from the three-dimensional
object 502 and back toward the media source 506.
[0137] The stereolithography system 500 can, additionally or
alternatively, include one or more heaters 516 in thermal
communication with the media source 506 and/or the working volume
and operable to control the temperature of the resin 504, e.g.,
through conduction, forced convection, natural convection,
radiation, and combinations thereof. The heaters 516 may, for
example, include a resistance heater in thermal communication with
the media source 506, the build plate 508, or any other suitable
component of the system 500. The heaters 516 may also or instead
include an ambient heater for the working volume 512 above the
media source 506. The one or more heaters 516 may be generally
operable to directly or indirectly control a temperature of the
resin 504 during a fabrication process. The stereolithography
system 500 can also include one or more temperature sensors 518
such as thermocouples or the like to facilitate controlling the
heaters to achieve a desired thermal profile within the working
volume 512, the resin 504, and so forth.
[0138] While the working volume 512 can be heated in various
different ways to achieve any one or more of the various different
advantages described herein for facilitating stereolithographic
fabrication of metal parts, it should be appreciated that certain
portions of the stereolithography system 500 can be advantageously
thermally isolated from the working volume 512 and/or from the
heaters 516. For example, the activation light source 514 can be
thermally isolated from the working volume 512 and/or the heaters
516. Such thermal isolation of the activation light source 514 can
be useful, for example, for prolonging the useful life of the
activation light source 514. Additionally, or alternatively, the
stereolithography system 500 can include a feedstock source, from
which the resin 504 can be delivered to the media source 506. The
feedstock source can be thermally isolated from the working volume
512 and/or the heaters 516 to facilitate handling the resin 504.
That is, the resin 504 can be stored in a substantially solid form.
Additionally, or alternatively, given that particles will tend to
settle faster in a molten form of the resin 504, thermally
isolating the feedstock from the work volume 512 and/or the
heater(s) 516 can facilitate storing a usable form of the resin 504
for a longer period of time.
[0139] In general, the activation light source 514 can deliver
light of a wavelength and exposure time suitable to crosslink
and/or polymerize the second binder of the resin 504. The
activation light source 514 can be an ultraviolet light source in
implementations in which the second binder of the resin 504
undergoes crosslinking and/or polymerization upon sufficient
exposure to ultraviolet light. As a more specific example, the
activation light source 514 can be any one or more of various
different ubiquitous light sources that produce light having a
wavelength of about 300 nm to about 450 nm (e.g., about 405 nm,
which corresponds to the Blu-ray disc standard). In certain
implementations, the activation light source 514 has a wavelength
greater than the average size of particles suspended in the resin
504, which can reduce the likelihood that the particles will
interfere with crosslinking and/or polymerization of the second
binder of the resin 504. Such reduced interference can, for
example, advantageously reduce the amount of light exposure time
required to crosslink and/or polymerize the second binder in the
resin 504. Further, or instead, reduced interference can enhance
resolution by reducing light scattering.
[0140] The activation light source 514 can be controllable to
provide a pattern of light incident on the resin 504. For example,
the activation light source 514 can include a laser controlled to
rasterize an image on the resin 504. As another, non-exclusive
example, the activation light source 514 can include a digital
light processing (DLP) projector including a plurality of
micromirrors controllable to create an image on the resin 504.
[0141] Light from the activation light source 514 can pass through
a portion of the media source 506 that is optically transparent to
the light from the activation light source 514 such that the
presence of the media source 506 in the light path produces little
to no interference with light directed from the activation light
source 514 to the resin 504 carried by the media source 506. Thus,
for example, in implementations in which the activation light
source 514 is an ultraviolet light source, the portion of the media
source 506 in the path of the activation light source 514 can be
transparent to ultraviolet light. Further, or instead, in
implementations in which the activation light source 514 is
disposed outside of the working volume 512, light from the
activation light source 514 can pass through a portion of the build
chamber 510 that is optically transparent to the light from the
activation source 514 such that the presence of the media source
506 in the light path produces little to no interference with light
directed from the activation light source 514 to the resin 504
carried by the media source 506. While the media source 506 and/or
the build chamber 510 can be optically transparent to light from
the activation light source 514, it should be appreciated that it
may be desirable to use the medial source 506 and/or the build
chamber 510 to filter light from the activation light source
514.
[0142] The stereolithography system 500 can further include a
controller 520 (e.g., one or more processors) and a non-transitory,
computer readable storage medium 522 in communication with the
controller 520 and having stored thereon computer executable
instructions for causing the one or more processors of the
controller 520 to carry out the various methods described herein.
For example, the controller 520 can be in communication with one or
more of the build plate 508, the activation light source 514, the
heater(s) 516, and the temperature sensor 518 to control
fabrication of the three-dimensional object 502 based on a
three-dimensional model 524 stored on the storage medium 522. In
certain instances, the stereolithography system 500 can further
include a camera and vision system that can detect parameters
(e.g., dimensions) of the three-dimensional object 502 as it is
formed, and the storage medium 522 can store a digital twin 526 of
the three-dimensional object 502 such that variations and defects
of the three-dimensional object 502 can be evaluated.
[0143] In general, the resin 504 can be responsive to light, heat,
or a combination thereof controlled by the controller 520 such that
the second binder can be controllably crosslinked or polymerized.
Thus, as compared to a material in which binders are initially
crosslinked or polymerized, the ability to control crosslinking or
polymerization of the second binder of the resin 504 can
advantageously facilitate controlling a shape and, thus, forming a
layer of the three-dimensional object 502 during a
stereolithography process.
[0144] In general, the resin 504 can include particles suspended in
a mixture of the first binder and the second binder. As used
herein, a binder can be one or more constituent components
removable from the particles at a point in the fabrication process.
Thus, for example, the first binder can be removable from the
particles through a first debinding process, and the second binder
can be removable from the particles through a second debinding
process, which can be different from the first debinding process
and/or temporally separate from the first debinding process.
Additionally, or alternatively, the first binder and the second
binder can have different responses to incident light such that,
for example, the first binder can be substantially non-reactive
under exposure to wavelengths of light sufficient to crosslink or
polymerize the second binder. Thus, for example, the physical
properties of the second binder can be changed during a
stereolithographic process without significantly changing the
physical properties of the first binder. More generally, it should
be appreciated that the physical properties of the first binder and
the second binder in the resin 504 can be changed through the
selective and controlled application of energy (e.g., light, heat,
or a combination thereof) during a stereolithographic process to
address different requirements associated with different stages of
the stereolithographic process, such as handling (e.g., spreading)
the resin 504, forming the three-dimensional object 502
layer-by-layer, and finishing the three-dimensional object 502 into
a solid part formed primarily of the particles suspended in the
mixture of the first binder and the second binder.
[0145] The suspension of particles may include a dispersion of
particles in a solid or molten form of the mixture of the first
binder and the second binder. It should be appreciated that such a
dispersion of the particles can be uniform or substantially uniform
(e.g., varying by less than about .+-.10 percent) within the
mixture of the first binder and the second binder. More generally,
however, it should be appreciated that the degree of uniformity of
the particles can be a function of strength and/or design
tolerances acceptable for the fabrication of the three-dimensional
object 502 and, thus, can include any distribution of particles
that are substantially spaced apart throughout the mixture of the
first binder and the second binder.
[0146] The first binder and the second binder can be, for example,
miscible with one another such that the mixture of the first binder
and the second binder is homogenous. Additionally, or
alternatively, the first binder and the second binder can be
immiscible with one another. In such instances, the dispersion of
the particles in the mixture of the first binder and the second
binder can be formed by shaking or otherwise agitating a molten
form of the resin 504 prior to or during a stereolithography
process.
[0147] The second binder can be a low molecular weight material
(e.g., a monomer or an oligomer), with the low molecular weight
indicative of a low degree of crosslinking or polymerization. For
example, the second binder can have a molecular weight of less than
about 5000 g/mol. Continuing with this example, the molecular
weight of the second binder can be increasable from less than about
5000 g/mol to greater than about 5000 g/mol (e.g., greater than
about 2000 g/mol) under exposure to the wavelength of light
sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder. The
resulting crosslinking or polymerization associated with such an
increase in molecular weight of the second binder should be
understood to correspond to curing of the second binder such that
the resin 504 takes a relatively stable shape during fabrication of
a layer of the three-dimensional object 502.
[0148] In certain implementations, the second binder undergoes
crosslinking or polymerization upon exposure to light at a
wavelength of about 300 nm to about 450 nm for a sufficient period
of time. Thus, in such implementations, the second binder can
undergo crosslinking or polymerization upon exposure to light at a
wavelength of 405 nm, which corresponds to the Blu-ray disc
standard and, thus, is produced using a light source that is
ubiquitous.
[0149] The first binder and the second binder can have different
melt temperatures such that heat can be applied to the resin 504 to
facilitate, for example, handling the resin 504. For example, the
first binder can have a first melt temperature and the second
binder can have a second melt temperature less than or about equal
to the first melt temperature. In such instances, the flow of the
resin 504 can be controlled by controlling a temperature of the
resin 504 relative to the melt temperature of the first binder. As
a more specific example, the first binder can have a first melt
temperature less than about 80 degrees Celsius, and the temperature
of the media source 506, the build plate 508, and/or the working
volume 512 can be controlled to be above about 80 degrees Celsius
such that the resin 504 is molten prior to receiving incident light
from the activation light source 514. Additionally, or
alternatively, the first binder can have a melt temperature above
about 25 degrees Celsius such that the resin 504 can be
substantially solid (e.g., in the form of a paste) to facilitate
storing the resin 504 in a stable form for a significant period of
time (e.g., multiple weeks). In certain implementations, the
concentration of the particles suspended in the mixture of the
first binder and the second binder is such that the resin 504 is a
non-Newtonian fluid at 25 degrees Celsius.
[0150] Additionally, or alternatively, the first binder and the
second binder can have different decomposition temperatures. For
example, the first binder can have a first decomposition
temperature, and the second binder can have a second decomposition
temperature greater than the first decomposition temperature such
that the second binder can generally withstand heating to a greater
temperature (e.g., after debinding the first binder from the
three-dimensional object 502).
[0151] The first binder can be extractable from the binder system
and the second binder following exposure of the second binder to a
wavelength of light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the
second binder. For example, the resin 504 can be exposed to light
from the activation light source 514 such that the second binder
crosslinks or polymerizes sufficiently to at least partially harden
to form a stable layer of the three-dimensional object 502 from
which the first binder can ultimately be extracted. It should be
appreciated that extracting the first binder from the
three-dimensional object 502 leaves behind a brown part that can be
subsequently processed (e.g., by debinding the second binder and
sintering the remaining particles) to form a completed part.
[0152] In general, the first binder can be extractable from the
second binder and/or the particles through any of various different
processes suited to the composition of the first binder. For
example, the first binder can include a wax extractable from the
second binder by chemical solvation in a non-polar chemical
following exposure of the second binder to wavelengths of light
sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder. As
another, non-exclusive example, the first binder can include a
plurality of low-molecular weight constituents (e.g., paraffin wax
and steric acid), each constituent extractable from the second
binder by the same chemical solution (e.g., hexane) following
exposure of the second binder to wavelengths of light sufficient to
crosslink or polymerize the second binder. Additionally, or
alternatively, the first binder can include polyethylene glycol
extractable from the second binder by dissolution by water or
alcohols following exposure of the second binder to wavelengths of
light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder.
Still further in addition, or in the alternative, the first binder
can include a wax extractable from the second binder by
supercritical carbon dioxide fluid following exposure of the second
binder to wavelengths of light sufficient to crosslink or
polymerize the second binder. Yet further in addition, or yet
further in the alternative, the first binder can include a low
molecular weight polyoxymethylene extractable from the second
binder by catalytic debinding in nitric oxide vapor. For example,
the polyoxymethylene can melt at a temperature substantially
similar to a temperature at which the second binder is
photopolymerizable. In certain implementations, the first binder
includes polyanhydride extractable from the second binder by
hydrolysis and dissolution in aqueous solution following exposure
of the second binder to wavelengths of light sufficient to
crosslink or polymerize the second binder. In some implementations,
the first binder includes a wax thermally extractable from the
second binder following exposure of the second binder to
wavelengths of light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the
second binder. The thermal extraction can include, for example,
boiling the wax at a temperature at which the second binder remains
substantially intact (e.g., substantially retaining its shape).
[0153] The second binder can be removable from the first binder
and/or from the particles through any of various different
debinding processes suitable for one or more constituent components
of the second binder. For example, the second binder can be
debindable by cleaving and/or un-polymerizing the second binder
(e.g., through one or more of hydrolyzing or solvolyzing) following
crosslinking or polymerization of the second binder. For example,
the second binder can include acetal diacrylate, which can be
extractable from the first binder by catalytic debinding in nitric
oxide vapor following exposure of the second binder to a wavelength
of light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder.
As an additional or alternative example, the second binder can
include anhydride diacrylate, which can be extractable from the
first binder by hydrolysis and dissolution in one or more aqueous
solutions following exposure of the second binder to the wavelength
of light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder.
Yet further in addition, or further in the alternative, the second
binder can include a saccharide diacrylate (e.g., monosaccharide
diacrylate, disaccharide diacrylate, or a combination thereof),
each of which can be extractable from the first binder by
hydrolysis in one or more aqueous solutions including a catalyst
(e.g., a catalyst including one or more biological enzymes, such as
amylase) for hydrolysis of the crosslinked or polymerized second
binder following exposure of the second binder to the wavelength of
light sufficient to crosslink or polymerize the second binder.
Additionally, or alternatively, in instances in which the second
binder is debindable by cleaving and/or un-polymerizing the second
binder, the first binder can have a high molecular weight (e.g.,
greater than about 5000 g/mol) and exist in a small volume
percentage (e.g., less than about 10 percent) in the resin 504.
[0154] The particles suspended in the mixture of the first binder
and the second binder are solid particles that, in general, can be
sintered to form a solid finished part. The particles can include,
for example, any one or more of various different metals. Further,
or instead, the particles can include any one or more of various
different ceramics. To facilitate producing a solid part with
substantially uniform strength characteristics along the part, the
solid particles can have the same composition and can, additionally
or alternatively, have a substantially uniform size. In certain
instances, the particles can advantageously have an average size
that is less than a wavelength of light sufficient to crosslink the
second binder, which can have any of various different advantages
described herein. For example, such a ratio of particle size to the
wavelength of light can result in shorter times associated with
crosslinking or polymerizing the second binder, given that the
particles are less likely to interfere with incident light that has
a longer wavelength than the average particle size.
[0155] In general, it is desirable to have a high concentration of
the particles in the resin 504. Such a high concentration can be
useful, for example, for reducing the amount of time and/or energy
required to crosslink or polymerize the second binder.
Additionally, or alternatively, such a high concentration can be
useful for reducing the amount of time required for debinding the
first binder and/or debinding the second binder. As a specific
example of a high concentration, the concentration (by volume) of
the particles in the resin 504 can be within .+-.15 percent of the
tap density of the particles. As used herein, the tap density of
particles is the bulk density of a powder of the particles after a
compaction process and is specified in ASTM B527, entitled
"Standard Test Method for Tap Density of Metal Powders and
Compounds," the entirety of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0156] The particles can include modified surfaces such that the
particles exhibit physical or chemical characteristics that differ
advantageously from the underlying material of the particles. For
example, the particles can include chemically functionalized
surfaces such as surfaces having a metal oxide coating, which can
be useful for resisting corrosion or other undesired chemical
reactions. Additionally, or alternatively, the particles can
include functional groups such that the particles resist settling
in the mixture of the first binder and the second binder through
steric hindrance. In certain instances, under ambient conditions
(e.g., in air at about 25 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure
and with relative humidity of 20-80%), the particles suspended in
the mixture of the first binder and the second binder can have a
timescale of settling of greater than about two weeks, which can
facilitate storing the resin 504 in a stable form for a useful
period of time. In some instances, the settling time of the
particles can be greater than the amount of time at which the first
binder is molten during the stereolithography process.
[0157] The resin 504 can include a photo-absorber (e.g., a Sudan
dye) suspended in the mixture of the first binder and the second
binder. Such a photo-absorber can facilitate, for example, tuning
the resin 504 to achieve a particular response (e.g., a curing time
for the second binder) from activation light from the activation
light source 514.
[0158] In general, the second binder can be about 10 percent to
about 50 percent by volume of the total volume of the resin 504. It
should be appreciated that the volumetric composition of the resin
504 can be a function of, among other things, the composition of
the first binder and the second binder. The first binder can
include, for example, one or more of the following: paraffin wax,
carnauba wax, stearic acid, polyethylene glycol, polyoxymethylene,
oleic acid, and dibutyl phthalate. The second binder can include,
for example, one or more of the following: poly(methyl
methacrylate), polyethylene glycol diacrylate, urethane oligomers
functionalized to acrylate groups, epoxy oligomers functionalized
to acrylate groups, 1,6-Hexanediol acrylates, or styrene.
Additionally, or alternatively, the resin 504 can include ethylene
vinyl acetate, a slip agent (e.g., stearic acid), and/or a
compatibilizer (e.g., metal stearate (e.g., zinc stearate), stearic
acid, or a combination thereof).
[0159] In an exemplary formulation, the first binder can include
polyethylene glycol and the second binder can include poly(methyl
methacrylate). For example, polyethylene glycol can be about 40-90
percent of the combined weight of the first binder and the second
binder and poly(methyl methacrylate) can be about 10-60 percent of
the combined weight of the first binder and the second binder.
[0160] In another exemplary formulation, the first binder can
include paraffin wax and the second binder can include a waxy or
hydrophobic diacrylate oligomer.
[0161] While binder jetting, fused filament fabrication, and
stereolithography processes are shown and described above, it will
be appreciated that the principles of the inventions disclosed
herein may be usefully adapted to any other fabrication techniques
suitable for depositing multiple materials for an object, support
structure, and interface layer to form a sinterable object with
breakaway support structures as contemplated herein.
[0162] FIG. 6 shows a stereolithography system. The
stereolithography system 600 is generally analogous to the
stereolithography system described above, except that each layer is
cured on a top surface, and the object 602 moves downward into a
resin 604 while each layer is exposed from above to an activation
source such as ultraviolet light. In one aspect, the
stereolithography system 600 may be configured for multi-material
stereolithography using, e.g. separate resin baths (and a robotic
system for switching between same), different resins applied with
brushes, tape casters or the like before curing, or any other
suitable technique(s), along with any washing or other treatment as
needed between individual curing steps. One suitable system is
described by way of non-limiting example in U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,270
to Chen et al., incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
These or other techniques may be used to deposit a sinterable build
material, an interface layer, and where appropriate, a support
structure, e.g., for sintering support as generally contemplated
herein.
[0163] Other techniques may also or instead be used to create an
interface layer for breakaway supports on a sinterable object, such
as by brushing, spraying, or otherwise depositing a layer of
ceramic particles or other sinter-resistant material, e.g., in a
colloidal suspension or the like, onto areas of a layer where an
interface layer is desired. For example, a colloidal suspension of
ceramic particles may be deposited onto a surface of the resin 604
before it is cured. In another aspect, a selective embrittlement
material or other material that otherwise prevents or inhibits
bonding between the object 602 and an adjacent support structure
may be used. Suitable control systems, robotics, and the like may
be included and will readily be appreciated by one of ordinary
skill in the art, where the details of these systems are not
repeated here. Accordingly, there is disclosed herein a
stereolithography system 600 having an interface layer tool 660,
which may include any of the mechanisms described above, or any
other tool suitable for forming an interface layer 662 as
contemplated herein for an object fabricated with a
stereolithography process.
[0164] FIG. 7 shows an interface layer. Support structures are used
in additive fabrication processes to permit fabrication of a
greater range of object geometries, and may generally include print
supports (for physical support of an overlying layer during
fabrication), debind supports (to prevent deformation during
debinding), and sinter supports (to prevent deformation during
sintering). For the build materials contemplated herein--materials
that are subsequently sintered into a final part--an interface
layer may usefully be fabricated between an object and the support
to inhibit bonding between adjacent surfaces of the support
structure and the object during subsequent processing such as
sintering. Thus, disclosed herein is an interface layer suitable
for manufacture with an additive manufacturing system that resists
the formation of bonds between a support structure and an object
during subsequent sintering processes.
[0165] According to the foregoing, an article 700 of manufacture
may include an object 702 formed of a build material, a support
structure 704, and an interface layer 706, each of which may be
deposited or otherwise fabricated using any of the additive
fabrication techniques described herein, or otherwise fabricated or
formed into sinterable and unsinterable layers or the like.
[0166] The build material of the object 702 may include any of the
build materials described herein. By way of general example, the
build material may include a metal injection molding material or a
powdered metallurgy material. More generally, the build material
may include a sinterable powdered material for forming a final part
at a sintering temperature, along with a binder system containing
one or more binders retaining the sinterable powdered material in a
net shape of the object 702 prior to densifying the sinterable
powdered material into the final part, e.g., after deposition or
other shaping with an additive fabrication process. While the
object 702 is depicted for simplicity as a single, horizontal layer
of material, it will be understood that a surface 708 of the object
702 adjacent to the interface layer 706 may have any shape or
three-dimensional l topography (within the limits of the system
that fabricated the object 702), including without limitation
vertical surfaces, sloped surfaces, horizontal surfaces, shelves,
ridges, curves, and so forth, with the interface layer 706
generally following the surface 708 of the object 702 wherever an
unsinterable barrier between the object 702 and the support
structure 704 is necessary or helpful.
[0167] The one or more binders of the build material may include
any of a wide range of materials selected to retain the net shape
of the object 702 during processing of the object 702 into the
final part. For example, processing of the object 702 into the
final part may include debinding the net shape to remove at least a
portion of the one or more binders, sintering the net shape to join
and densify the sinterable powdered material, or some combination
of these. To support the net shape in this context, the one or more
binders may generally retain the net shape until sufficient
sintering strength is achieved through necking of particles of the
sinterable powdered material.
[0168] The sinterable powder of the build material may include a
metallic powder containing any metal(s), metal alloy(s), or
combination of the foregoing suitable for sintering. A wide range
of such powders are known in the powdered metallurgy field. Thus,
the build material may include a powdered metallurgy material. The
sinterable powdered material may, for example, have a distribution
of particle sizes with a mean diameter of between two and fifty
microns, such as about six microns, about ten microns, or any other
suitable diameter. The build material may also or instead include
submicron particles selected to facilitate sintering of the
sinterable powdered material, such as smaller particles of the
powdered material, particles of a low-temperature sintering
material, and so forth. The submicron particles may also or instead
include an element selected for alloying with the sinterable
powdered material, or particles of a strengthening additive, and so
forth. In another aspect, the submicron particles of the binder
system have a composition substantially identical to the sinterable
powdered material and a size distribution with a mean particle size
at least one order of magnitude smaller than the sinterable
powdered material.
[0169] The sinterable powdered material may also or instead include
an alloy of at least one of aluminum, steel, and copper, where the
selective embrittlement material includes at least one of antimony,
arsenic, bismuth, lead, sulfur, phosphorous, tellurium, iodine,
bromine, chlorine, and fluorine.
[0170] The support structure 704 may generally provide print
support, debind support, sintering support, or some combination of
these for the object 702. Print support will generally be
positioned vertically below surfaces of the object 702, however
where vertical support ends or has non-horizontal features, the
interface layer 706 may also be positioned on the sides of the
support structure 704 or otherwise positioned between the support
structure 704 and the object 702. More generally, the support
structure 704 may be positioned adjacent to the surface 708 of the
object 702 to provide mechanical support during processing of the
object 702 into a final part, where adjacent in this context means
nearby but separated as appropriate by the interface layer 706.
[0171] The support structure 704 may be formed of a support
material such as a second material having a shrinkage rate during
processing (e.g., debinding, sintering, or some combination of
these) matched to the build material of the object 702, so that the
support material and the build material shrink at substantially
similar rates during debind, during sintering, or both. For
example, the second material may be the build material, where the
use of the interface layer 706 prevents the build material from
sintering across the interface layer. The second material of the
support structure 704 may also or instead contain the ceramic
powder of the interface layer, or some other ceramic powder or
other powdered material or the like that resists sintering at the
sintering temperatures used to sinter the build material of the
object 702. For example, the second material of the support
structure 704 may be formed of substantially the same (or exactly
the same) composition as the interface layer 706, or may include
the binder system used in the build material for the object 702.
The second binder system of this interface layer 706 may, for
example, provide a rheology suitable for use in a fused filament
fabrication process or the like. Thus, the second binder system may
facilitate suitable flowability, and may retain the shape of the
interface layer 706 during a debind of the article 700. The second
binder system may also or instead retain a shape of the interface
layer 706 during an onset of a thermal sintering cycle at the
sintering temperature used to sinter the build material of the
object 702 into a final part.
[0172] In another aspect, the support material may shrink at a
substantially similar rate to the build material during debind and
the support material may shrink at a substantially greater rate
than the build material during sintering. With this shrinkage
profile, the support material can be more specifically configured
to shrink at a rate that maintains the support structure 704 in
contact with the object 702 (through the interface layer 706)
during a thermal sintering cycle. The support material may also or
instead be configured to shrink at a rate that maintains the
support structure 704 in contact with the object 706 at least until
the object 702 becomes self-supporting during a sintering process
for the build material.
[0173] In general, the support structure 704 may include a
non-planar support surface that varies according to the geometry of
the object 702 that is being supported, and the support structure
704 may have varying z-axis heights below the bottom surface 708 of
the object 702 (in a manufacturing coordinate system for planar
fabrication of the article using, e.g., fused filament fabrication,
binder jetting, stereolithography, or any other suitable
fabrication systems. Where a bottom surface of an object 702 is
flat and requires no structural support, an interface layer 706 may
nonetheless be usefully employed, e.g., to facilitate separation of
the object 702 from a shrink raft, sintering setter, or other
substrate used to carry the object 702 during fabrication into a
final part.
[0174] The interface layer 706 may generally be disposed between
the support structure 704 and the surface 708 of the object 702.
The interface layer 706 may contain a composition that resists
bonding of the support structure 704 to the surface 708 of the
object 702 through the interface layer 706 during sintering. For
example, the composition of the interface layer 706 may include a
ceramic powder having a sintering temperature higher than the build
material, or substantially higher than the build material (such as
a metallic build material). The interface layer 706 may also or
instead include a preceramic polymer such as any of a range of
organo-silicon compounds that convert into a ceramic upon heat
treatment. More specifically, such a preceramic polymer that
decomposes into a ceramic during sintering at the sintering
temperature of the build material may usefully be employed to form
a ceramic interface layer during sintering. The interface layer 706
may also include a thermoplastic binder or other suitable material
to retain a position of the ceramic particles within the article.
In one aspect, the interface layer 706 includes a dissolvable
material suitable for removal with a solvent prior to sintering,
e.g., in a chemical debind, and the interface layer 706 also
includes a ceramic powder that maintains a physical separation
layer between the first material and the second material after the
dissolvable material is removed.
[0175] In one aspect, the interface layer 706 physically excludes
the adjacent support structure 704 and object 702 forming a
physically separate barrier between the two. For example, the
interface layer 706 may be formed of a ceramic powder that has a
substantially greater mean particle size than the sinterable
powdered material of the object 702, and the ceramic powder may be
disposed in a second binder system that retains a shape of the
interface layer 706, e.g., to prevent mixing or physical contact
between the object 702 and the support structure 704.
[0176] In another aspect, the interface layer 706 may be formed
between and/or within a surface of the object 702, and adjacent
surface of the support structure 704, or both. As with other
interface layers contemplated herein, this interface layer 706 may
generally resist bonding of the support structure 704 to the object
702 during a thermal sintering cycle at a sintering temperature for
a sinterable powdered material of the build material. For example,
the interface layer 706 may be formed with a sintering inhibitor
that infiltrates the support structure 704 or the object 702 where
they meet. Thus, while illustrated as a discrete layer, it will be
understood that the interface layer 706 may overlap with the
support structure 704 and/or the object 702 without departing from
the scope of this description. This type of structure may result,
for example, where a nanoscopic ceramic powder in a colloidal
suspension or other suitable carrier is deposited onto the support
structure 704 or the object 702 (or both) before they are placed in
contact with one another.
[0177] For example, a colloidal suspension may be sprayed or jetted
onto interface locations during a binder jetting or fused filament
fabrication process between layers of support structure 704 and an
object 702 to create an unsinterable composition therebetween. The
ceramic powder may have a substantially smaller mean particle size
than the sinterable powdered material of the build material used
for forming the final part. By spraying or jetting the suspension
onto the surface, the ceramic powder may be distributed
interstitially between particles of the sinterable powdered
material on an outer surface of the support structure 704 to resist
necking between the support structure 704 and the sinterable
powdered material of the object 702 around the outer surface during
sintering at the sintering temperature, thereby providing the
interface layer 706. A variety of suitable dimensions may be
employed. For example, a ceramic powder of the interface layer 706
may contain ceramic particles having a mean particle size of less
than one micron. The sinterable powdered material of the build
material may have a mean particle size of about ten to thirty-five
microns. More generally, the ceramic particles have a mean particle
size about at least one order of magnitude smaller than a similarly
measured mean particle size of the sinterable powdered
material.
[0178] For extrusion-based processes such as fused filament
fabrication, particle sizes may usefully be maintained at
dimensions substantially smaller than an extrusion opening. Thus,
for example, in another aspect a powdered metal of a build material
may have a mean particle size at least one order of magnitude
smaller than an interior diameter of an extruder of a fused
filament fabrication system. Similarly, a powdered ceramic of an
interface layer may have a mean particle size at least one order of
magnitude smaller than an interior diameter of an extruder of a
fused filament fabrication system.
[0179] In another aspect, the ceramic particles may have a mean
particle size greater than a second mean particle size of the
sinterable powdered material, e.g., where the interface layer 706
is deposited using a fused filament fabrication system having a
nozzle that is suitably large for extruding a composition with the
ceramic particles. This may include a mean particle size at least
fifty percent greater than a second mean particle size of a
powdered metal or other powdered material in the object 702. The
ceramic particles may also or instead have a mean particle size of
about five to fifty microns, about five to forty microns, or about
twenty to thirty microns. The sinterable powdered material may have
a mean particle size greater than about thirty-five microns. In
another aspect, a powdered metal of the build material may have a
mean particle size of about fifteen microns and the interface layer
may include a powdered ceramic with a mean particle size of at
least twenty-five microns.
[0180] Other techniques may also or instead be used to form the
interface layer as contemplated herein. For example, the interface
layer may include a selective embrittlement material selected to
introduce crack defects into at least one of the support structure
and the object at the interface layer during sintering into the
final part. The particular material(s) for selective embrittlement
will be system-dependent, however many suitable systems are known
in the art. For example, the sinterable powder may include an alloy
of at least one of at least one of aluminum, steel, and copper, and
a suitable corresponding selective embrittlement material may
include at least one of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, lead, sulfur,
phosphorous, tellurium, iodine, bromine, chlorine, and
fluorine.
[0181] In another aspect, the interface layer may include a
material having a powdery macrostructure where the material retains
the powdery macrostructure while microscopically densifying to
match a shrinkage rate of the object during sintering. By way of
non-limiting examples, suitable materials may include at least one
of aluminum hydroxide and gamma alumina.
[0182] More generally, a wide range of materials and material
systems may usefully be employed as the interface layer 706
contemplated herein. For example, the interface layer 706 may
include at least one of an iron oxide and a ceramic-loaded polymer.
The powdered material of the object 702 may include a metal powder,
and the interface layer may be fabricated from a composition that
includes a second phase material with a melting point below a
sintering temperature of the metal powder to form a meltable
interface that melts out of the interface layer as the metal powder
achieves a sintering strength during sintering. In another aspect,
the interface layer 706 may be formed of or include a preceramic
polymer decomposable into a ceramic during sintering. In another
aspect, the interface layer 706 may include a ceramic non-reactive
with a second material of the object 702. For example, the second
material may include titanium and the interface layer 706 may
include at least one of yttria and zirconia.
[0183] While the interface layer 706 can usefully inhibit bonding
of the support structure 704 to the object 702 during sintering or
other processing, the interface layer 706 and the support structure
704 can also usefully shrink during processing in a manner that is
matched to the object 702 in order to provide substantially
continuous support as needed during processing. Thus, for example,
the interface layer may be formed of a material with a debind
shrinkage rate or a sintering shrinkage rate substantially matching
at least one of the first material of the support structure and the
second material of the object under debind and sintering conditions
suitable for at least one of the first material and the second
material. During debind, the primary pathway for shrinkage may be
the removal of binder from the system, and the matching may include
the selection of similar or identical binder systems. During
sintering, the densification of the powdered material contributes
substantially to shrinkage, and matching may be achieved through
the use of similar materials and particle sizes among the different
materials of the support 702, the interface layer 706, and the
object 702.
[0184] In one aspect, a first material of the support structure 704
may be configured to shrink at a greater rate than a second
material of the object 702, e.g., by using a lighter loading of
[0185] EFS-Web DESK-0013-P09 powdered material, a material that
sinters more quickly, or the addition of a material the decomposes
or evaporates more quickly during a thermal sintering cycle. By
properly configuring these material systems, a support structure
704 may be fabricated that self-separates from the object 702
during sintering, preferably at a time in the sintering process for
the object 702 to have achieved a self-supporting sintered
strength. Thus, the greater rate may be selected so that the
support structure 704 pulls away from the object 702 concurrently
with the second material of the object 702 sintering to a
self-supporting density. In another aspect, the greater rate may be
a rate selected to compensate for non-shrinkage in a ceramic
material of the interface layer 706 during at least one of debind
and sintering. That is, where the interface layer 706 does not
reduce volume through sintering, the shrinkage rate of the support
material may be increased to prevent mechanical encroachment of the
interface layer 706 into the object 702 during sintering.
[0186] In another aspect, while the interface layer 706 is depicted
as a uniform layer, it will be appreciated that in some instances,
e.g., where an interface layer 706 is captured between two parallel
cantilevered arms of an object 702, the use of non-sintering, and
thus non-shrinking, ceramic particles may cause substantial
stresses and deformation. To mitigate this, the interface layer 706
may contain gaps or the like to facilitate shifting or settling as
shrinking occurs, provided that the gaps between regions of the
interface layer 706 are not so large that object or support
material can sag into the gap during printing, debinding, or
sintering. Other techniques may be usefully employed for similarly
captive support structures or the like. For example, an
interstitial material may be deposited with a shrinkage rate tuned
to maintain contact between the support and the object as needed
through debinding and sintering, while contracting more quickly to
pull away from adjacent surfaces after adequate sintering strength
is achieved. In another aspect, a material may be used that
degrades and boils off once the object becomes mechanically stable,
but before reaching a full sintering temperature. Alternatively, a
material may be added that melts at a temperature once a part
becomes mechanically stable but before the full sintering
temperature.
[0187] FIG. 8 shows a method for forming an interface layer for
removable supports. Support structures are commonly used in
additive fabrication processes to permit fabrication of a greater
range of object geometries. For additive fabrication processes that
use materials (such as those contemplated herein) that are
subsequently sintered into a final part, an interface layer can
usefully be fabricated between the object and support in order to
inhibit bonding between adjacent surfaces of the support structure
and the object during sintering.
[0188] As shown in step 801, the method 800 may include providing a
model. This may include any computerized model of an object for
execution by a printer, or any suitable representation of the
object suitable for processing into a printer-ready or
printer-executable representation. Thus, for example, while g-code
is one common representation of machine instructions for execution
by a printer, the g-code may be derived from some other model such
as computer-aided design (CAD) model, or some other
three-dimensional representation such as a three-dimensional
polygonal mesh or the like. Various techniques for creating
computerized models of objects, and for processing such models into
printer-executable formats, are known in the art and the details
are not repeated here.
[0189] In one aspect, the creation of a printer-executable format
may include the identification of portions of an object that
require structural support, such as to provide a surface for
printing on, or to physically support a structure during debinding
and/or sintering into a final part. The resulting support
structures may be incorporated into the computerized model of the
object that is generated for the printer, and may, where
appropriate, specify support materials for fabricating the support
structures that are different than the build material used by the
printer to fabricate the object.
[0190] As shown in step 802, the method 800 may include fabricating
a support structure for the object based on the computerized model
using any of the printers described herein. This may, for example,
include fabricating the support structure from a first material. By
way of example, in a method for controlling a printer in a fused
filament fabrication of an object, this may include extruding a
support structure for a portion of the object using a support
material.
[0191] As shown in step 804, the method 800 may include forming an
interface layer on a surface of the support structure. This may,
for example, include fabricating a discrete layer of material that
provides the interface layer, or this may include modifying or
augmenting the fabrication process to form an interface layer
within or adjacent to the support structure, the object, or both.
Thus, as used herein, references to "fabricating an interface
layer" are intended to refer to a step of fabricating a discrete
layer of material between a support structure and an object that
provides a non-sintering barrier between the two in subsequent
processing. For example, fabricating the interface layer (or the
support structure or the object) may include additively
manufacturing the interface layer (or the support structure or the
object) using at least one of fused filament fabrication, binder
jetting, and optical curing of a powder-loaded resin. The phrase
"forming an interface layer," as used herein, is intended to refer
more broadly to any technique for forming a material system that
resists bonding of the support structure to the object through the
interface layer during sintering. By forming an interface layer as
contemplated herein, the interface layer may thus provide a
non-sintering barrier that results in breakaway or otherwise
removable supports after sintering.
[0192] Numerous examples of both techniques ("forming" and
"fabricating") are provided below. By way of introductory,
non-limiting examples, fabricating an interface layer may include
depositing a layer of ceramic particles with an extruder of a fused
filament fabrication system between an object and a support
structure formed of sinterable, powdered metal in a binder system.
On the other hand, forming an interface layer may include this
technique, or other techniques that do not involve the fabrication
of a discrete material layer such as inkjetting a colloidal
suspension of fine ceramic particles or some other sintering
inhibitor into a layer of a support structure (or an object) so
that the inkjetted material penetrates into the structure to create
a material system on the surface of the structure that resists
sintering under sintering conditions for a sinterable, powdered
metal of a support structure and/or object.
[0193] While the method 800 is shown as an ordered sequence of
steps that include fabricating support, forming an interface, and
then fabricating an object, it will be understood that the object,
the support structure, and the interface layer may have complex,
varying topologies with horizontal walls, vertical walls, angled
walls, curved walls, and all forms of continuous and discontinuous
features. Thus, during processing, any one of these steps may be
performed first, second, or third, or in certain instances, several
may be performed concurrently or in changing patterns. For example,
for a vertical wall, an object may be fabricated, and then the
interface layer, and then the support, and the order may then
switch on a return pass of a printing tool so that the support is
fabricated first and the object is fabricated last. Or for a nested
support structure such as a cantilevered beam, the vertical process
may include fabricating an object, then an interface layer, then
support, then an interface layer, then the object.
[0194] In another aspect, the interface layer may include a
finishing material for use on some or all of the exterior surfaces
of the object. Accordingly, fabricating the interface layer may
include fully encapsulating the object. The material of this
interface layer may include a finishing material for the exposed
surfaces of the object, e.g., to provide a desired color, texture,
strength, toughness, pliability, or other characteristic. For
example, the finishing material may include an alloying metal
having an aesthetic finish, or the interface layer may include
titanium or some other surface strengthener.
[0195] In another aspect, the first material of the support
structure or the interface layer, or both, may be formed of a
composition including microspheres that controllably collapse under
pressure to reduce volume. The fabrication of suitable microspheres
is known in the art, and may be used within the support structure
and/or interface in a method that includes applying pressure to
collapse the microspheres to shrink the material and separate the
support structure from the object, e.g., during sintering.
[0196] In some embodiments, the interface layer may usefully be
formed of the first material of the support structure so that the
entire support and interface form an unsinterable mass that
decomposes into a powder or the like during sintering.
[0197] As noted above, the interface layer may be fabricated using
any of the additive manufacturing techniques described herein such
as fused filament fabrication, binder jetting, and
stereolithography, e.g., where the interface layer includes a
ceramic medium or a composition with a ceramic additive to inhibit
bonding between the support structure and the surface of the object
during sintering. Specific techniques may be used with different
fabrication processes to form a useful interface layer for
breakaway supports. For example, in a fused filament fabrication
system, a processor or other controller may be configured to
underextrude at least one of the support structure, a surface of
the object, and the interface layer to reduce a contact area with
an adjacent layer, e.g., by using at least one of an increased tool
speed and a decreased volumetric deposition rate. Such a printer
may also or instead be configured to reduce a contact area between
the interface layer and one of the object and the support structure
by decreasing an extrusion bead size or increasing a spacing
between roads of deposited material. A method for controlling a
printer in a fused filament fabrication of the object may also or
instead include extruding an interface layer adjacent to the
support structure using an interface material.
[0198] Forming the interface layer may include other techniques.
For example, forming the interface layer may include inkjetting a
ceramic-loaded slurry onto the support structure (or the object, if
the surfaces are inverted, or both) so that ceramic particles in
the slurry can penetrate the support structure to inhibit
sintering, or optionally so that the slurry can be cured on the
surface of the support structure where it is deposited to create a
physical barrier of ceramic particles over the support structure.
Similarly, a suspension may be deposited onto the support structure
(or the object), e.g., where the suspension includes a medium that
is resistant to sintering at a sintering temperature of the
powdered material. For example, the suspension may include a
selective embrittlement material that selectively embrittles a bond
between the support structure and the surface of the object. A
variety of suitable selective embrittlement materials are known in
the art, and the particular material(s) will be dependent on the
corresponding materials of the interface layer. Any such materials
suitable for the interface layer, such as a composition selected to
introduce crack defects into the interface layer, may usefully be
employed.
[0199] Forming the interface layer may include depositing an
interface material onto the support structure (or the object) using
any supplemental deposition techniques such as by inkjetting,
spraying, micropipetting, and painting an interface material onto
the support structure as the interface layer. Forming the interface
layer may also or instead include depositing at least one of the
support structure, the interface layer, and the object in a manner
that inhibits bonding of the support structure to the object while
sintering. Forming the interface layer may also or instead include
depositing at least one of the support structure, the interface
layer, and the object in a manner that inhibits mixing with the
interface layer. For example, in a fused filament fabrication
context, a small additional z-axis increment may be included
between layers to reduce inter-layer fusion and prevent
intermingling of particles in adjacent layers. In this manner, a
film of binder may effectively be formed between adjacent layers
that inhibits neck formation across the resulting physical barrier.
While the binder system may eventually be removed initial necking
may preferentially occur within each layer rather than across
layers, so that the interface sinters to a weaker state to
facilitate mechanical removal. In another aspect, forming the
interface layer may include oxidizing the interface layer to
inhibit bonding to the second material of the object, such as by
selectively oxidizing a surface with a laser in areas where the
interface layer belongs between a structure and a support.
[0200] As shown in step 806, the method 800 may include fabricating
a layer of the object adjacent to the interface layer. In a fused
filament fabrication context, this may include extruding a build
material to form a surface of the object adjacent to the interface
layer, on a side of the interface layer opposing the support
structure. The build material may be any of the build materials
contemplated herein, such as a powdered material for forming a
final part and a binder system including one or more binders.
[0201] Fabricating the layer of the object may also or instead
include fabricating a surface of the object from a second material
adjacent to the interface layer. The second material may, for
example, include a powdered material for forming a final part and a
binder system including one or more binders. The one or more
binders may include any of the binders or binder systems described
herein. In general, the one or more binders may resist deformation
of a net shape of the object during processing of the object into
the final part, in particular where this processing includes
debinding the net shape to remove at least a portion of the one or
more binders and sintering the net shape to join and densify the
powdered material. During these processes, the object may go
through substantial shrinkage and mechanical stresses, and the
binder(s) can usefully retain the net shape under these varying
conditions. Subsequent sintering aims to yield a densified final
part formed of the powdered material in the second material, e.g.,
the build material for the object, where the sintering causes
necking between particles of the powdered material and subsequent
fusion of the powdered material into a solid mass without melting
to the point of liquefaction. A variety of suitable materials are
known in the art for various fabrication processes as contemplated
herein. In one aspect, the first material of the support structure
may have a similar or substantially identical composition as the
second material of the object.
[0202] For example, the second material may include a powdered
metallurgy material. More generally, the powdered material of the
second material may include a metal powder, a ceramic powder, or
any other sinterable material or combination of materials. The
powdered material may, for example, have any suitable dimensions
for sintering. While this may vary according to the type of
material, many useful sinterable powdered materials have a
distribution of particle sizes with a mean diameter of between two
and fifty microns. The powdered material may contain any of a
variety of metals or metal alloys. For example, the powdered
material may include an alloy of at least one of aluminum, steel,
and copper, where the composition of the suspension includes at
least one of antimony, arsenic, bismuth, lead, sulfur, phosphorous,
tellurium, iodine, bromine, chlorine, and fluorine. In one aspect,
the second material may include an infiltrable powder with at least
one of a metallic infiltrant and a ceramic infiltrant.
[0203] In one aspect, the binder system may include a single
binder, which may, for example, be removable from the object
through a pure thermal debind. This may, for example, be useful,
e.g., where fabricating the surface of the object includes applying
the single binder in a binder jetting process or in any other
context where a single binder system and/or thermal debinding might
usefully be employed.
[0204] In another aspect, the binder system may include a first
binder that is removed from the second material during a debind
prior to sintering, where the binder system includes a second
binder that remains in the net shape at an onset of a thermal
sintering cycle. The binder system may also or instead include a
first binder that is removed from the second material during a
debind prior to sintering, where the binder system includes a
second binder that remains in the net shape through sintering into
the final part. In this latter case, the second binder may usefully
include submicron particles that facilitate sintering of the
powdered material. Still more specifically, the submicron particles
may include an element or combination of elements selected for
alloying with the powdered material. In another aspect, the
submicron particles may have a composition substantially identical
to the powdered material and a size distribution with a mean at
least one order of magnitude smaller than the powdered
material.
[0205] As shown in step 808, the method 800 may include sending the
fabricated object to a processing facility. In one aspect, where
the entire fabrication process is performed locally, this step may
be omitted. In another aspect, a service bureau or the like may be
maintained to service multiple printing locations, where objects
are printed locally, and then shipped or otherwise transported to
the processing facility for one or more of shaping, debinding, and
sintering. This latter approach advantageously permits sharing of
resources such as debinding systems that use hazardous materials or
large, expensive sintering furnaces.
[0206] As shown in step 812, the method 800 may include shaping the
object. This may, for example, include smoothing to remove printing
artifacts, manual or automated comparison to computerized models,
e.g., so that corrections can be made, or the addition of scoring,
through holes, or the like along interfaces between support
structures and an object to mechanically weaken the interface
layer.
[0207] As shown in step 814, the method 800 may include debinding
the object. The details of the debinding process will depend on the
type of binder system in the materials used for fabrication. For
example, the binder system may include a first binder and a second
binder, where the first binder resists deformation of the net shape
of the object during debinding of the object and a second binder
resisting deformation of the net shape of the object during a
beginning of a thermal sintering cycle for the object. Debinding
may include debinding the object to remove the first binder using
any corresponding debind process such as chemical debinding,
catalytic debinding, supercritical debinding, thermal debinding,
and so forth. The debinding may also or instead include heating the
object to remove the second binder. In another aspect, the binder
system may include a first binder and at least one other binder,
where the first binder forms about 20 percent to about 98 percent
by volume of the binder system, and where debinding includes
debinding the first binder from the object to create open pore
channels for a release of the at least one other binder.
[0208] As shown in step 816, the method 800 may include sintering
the object. This may include any thermal sintering cycle suitable
for a powdered material in the object, the support structure, the
interface layer, or a combination of these.
[0209] As shown in step 818, the method 800 may include removing
the support structure from the object, e.g., by physically
separating the support structure and the object along the interface
layer. Depending upon the structure and materials of the interface
layer, this may be a simple manual process of picking up the
object, and potentially rinsing or otherwise cleaning the object to
remove any powder residue. In another aspect, this may require the
application of substantial mechanical force to break the interface
layer which, although weaker than the object and/or support, may
nonetheless have substantial strength.
[0210] FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating an
object with overhead supports. As discussed herein, a variety of
additive manufacturing techniques can be adapted to fabricate a
substantially net shape object from a computerized model using
materials that can be debound and sintered into a fully dense
metallic part or the like. However, during a thermal sintering
cycle, unsupported features such as bridges or overhangs may tend
to slump and break, particularly where the supporting binder
escapes the material before sintering has yielded significant
strength gain. To address this issue, a variety of techniques are
disclosed for supporting an additively manufactured shape during
subsequent sintering, such as by providing overhead support to
suspend vulnerable features.
[0211] As shown in step 901, the method 900 may begin with
providing a computerized model, which may include providing a
computerized model in any of the forms described herein.
[0212] As shown in step 902, the method 900 may include fabricating
an object. In general, this may include fabricating an object
having a net shape based on the computerized model from a build
material. The build material may include a powdered material for
forming a final part and a binder system including one or more
binders, where the one or more binders resist deformation of the
object during fabricating, debinding, and sintering of the object
into the final part. This may, for example, include any of the
powdered materials and binder systems described herein, such as
metal injection molding material or the like. Fabricating may, for
example, include using an additive manufacturing process to
fabricate the object such as a fused filament fabrication process,
a binder jetting process, or optical curing of a layer of
powder-loaded resin, e.g. with stereolithography.
[0213] As shown in step 904, the method 900 may include fabricating
an interface layer such as any of the interface layers described
herein, and using any of the fabrication or forming techniques
described herein. For example, this may include fabricating an
interface layer between the object and a support structure (which
may be an overhead support structure or an underlying support
structure), where the interface layer is configured to retain a
bond between the object and the support structure during a first
portion of a sintering process, and to separate the object from the
support structure during a second portion of the sintering process
after the first portion.
[0214] As shown in step 906, the method 900 may include fabricating
a support structure. In one aspect, this may include fabricating
any of a variety of print or sintering supports such as those
discussed herein. In another aspect, fabricating the support
structure may include forming a support structure above a surface
of the object, where the surface is upwardly vertically exposed so
that the support structure can suspend the surface from above, and
where the support structure includes a superstructure coupled to
the surface to support a downward vertical load on the object.
[0215] Fabricating the support structure may, for example, include
using an additive manufacturing process to fabricate the support
structure such as a fused filament fabrication process, a binder
jetting process, or optical curing of a layer of powder-loaded
resin, e.g. with stereolithography. In another aspect, the support
structure may be fabricated using other techniques, such as with a
supplemental additive fabrication system configured to string
filaments or other structures upwardly from a surface of the object
to a superstructure. Thus, for example, the support structure may
include a filament coupled to a top surface of the object at a
location selected to prevent slumping of the object during at least
one of debind and sintering. The filament may, for example, form a
spring coupling the top surface of the object to the superstructure
with a spring force that varies according to a length of the
spring. The filament may couple to a frame of the superstructure.
Using this general support strategy, generalized support structures
may be formed that provide removable overhead support while
permitting underlying support to be removed early in downstream
processing, e.g., through a chemical debinding process.
[0216] Fabricating the support structure may also or instead
include fabricating a second support structure below a location
where the superstructure couples to the surface of the object.
Fabricating the support structure may also or instead include
fabricating a vertical retaining wall separated from a
substantially vertical surface of the object by an interface layer
that resists bonding of the vertical retaining wall to the
substantially vertical surface of the object. The retaining wall
may, for example, resist slumping of a thin wall of the object,
provide an attachment for an overhead support, or otherwise support
the object or related structures during subsequent processing.
[0217] As previously noted, it may be useful to match or otherwise
coordinate shrinkage rates among materials. Thus, for example, the
frame may be fabricated from a material selected to shrink at a
predetermined rate during a debind and sintering of the object,
e.g., so that the overhead supports continue to provide adequate
(but not excessive) force on supported structures. Similarly, the
filament may be fabricated from a material selected to shrink at a
predetermined rate during a debind and sintering of the object.
[0218] As shown in step 908, the method 900 may include sending the
fabricated object to a processing facility. In one aspect, where
the entire fabrication process is performed locally, this step may
be omitted. In another aspect, a service bureau or the like may be
maintained to service multiple printing locations, where objects
are printed locally, and then shipped or otherwise transported to
the processing facility for one or more of shaping, debinding, and
sintering. This latter approach advantageously permits sharing of
resources such as debinding systems that use hazardous materials or
large, expensive sintering furnaces.
[0219] As shown in step 912, the method 900 may include shaping the
object. This may, for example, include smoothing to remove printing
artifacts, manual or automated comparison to computerized models,
e.g., so that corrections can be made, or the addition of scoring,
through holes, or the like along interfaces between support
structures and an object to mechanically weaken the interface
layer.
[0220] As shown in step 914, the method 900 may include debinding
the object to provide a brown part. The details of the debinding
process will depend on the type of binder system in the materials
used for fabrication. For example, the binder system may include a
first binder and a second binder, where the first binder resists
deformation of the net shape of the object during debinding of the
object and a second binder resists deformation of the net shape of
the object during a beginning of a thermal sintering cycle for the
object. Debinding may include debinding the object to remove the
first binder using any corresponding debind process such as
chemical debinding, catalytic debinding, supercritical debinding,
thermal debinding, and so forth. The debinding may also or instead
include heating the object to remove the second binder. In another
aspect, the binder system may include a first binder and at least
one other binder, where the first binder forms about 20 percent to
about 98 percent by volume of the binder system, and where
debinding includes debinding the first binder from the object to
create open pore channels for a release of the at least one other
binder.
[0221] As shown in step 916, the method 900 may include sintering
the object to provide a final part. This may include any thermal
sintering cycle suitable for a powdered material in the object, the
support structure, the interface layer, or a combination of
these.
[0222] As shown in step 918, the method 900 may include removing
the support structure from the object, e.g., by physically
separating the support structure and the object along the interface
layer. Depending upon the structure and materials of the interface
layer, this may be a simple manual process of picking up the
object, and potentially rinsing or otherwise cleaning the object to
remove any powder residue. In another aspect, this may require the
application of substantial mechanical force to break the interface
layer which, although weaker than the object and/or support, may
nonetheless have substantial strength. Where overhead supports are
used, the support structure may usefully employ a combination of
different interfaces that either fully or partially inhibit bonding
within different regions of the interface, e.g., so that overhead
supports can remain at least partially intact until sintering to
full strength while print supports and the like completely detach
during sintering.
[0223] FIG. 10 shows an object with overhead support. In general,
an article of manufacture described herein may include an object
with overhead supports fabricated using the techniques described
above. Thus, there is disclosed herein an article 1000 comprising
an object 1002 formed of a build material such as any of the build
materials described herein including a powdered material for
forming a final part and a binder system including one or more
binders, where the one or more binders resist deformation of the
object during fabricating, debinding, and sintering of the object
1002 into the final part. The article 1000 may include a bottom
support 1004 providing vertical support from a substrate 1006 below
the build material during fabrication of the object 1002 in an
additive fabrication process. An interface layer such as any of the
interface layers described above may be formed between the object
1002 and the bottom support 1004. The article 1000 may also include
a top support 1008 coupled to an upwardly vertically exposed
surface 1010 of the object 1002, the top support 1008 providing
vertical support against downward deformation of the object 1002
during at least one of debinding and sintering. The top support
1008 may, for example, include a number of filaments or the like
coupled to a superstructure 1012 such as a frame, box, or other
structure providing attachment points 1014 above the object
1002.
[0224] An interface layer may also or instead be formed between the
object 1002 and the top support 1008, where the interface layer is
configured to retain a bond between the object and the top support
during a first portion of a sintering process, and where the
interface layer is configured to separate the object from the top
support during a second portion of the sintering process after the
first portion, e.g., where the object 1002 has reached a
self-supporting strength.
[0225] FIG. 11 shows a cross-section of an object on a shrinking
substrate. As described above, a variety of additive manufacturing
techniques can be adapted to fabricate a substantially net shape
object from a computerized model using materials that can be
debound and sintered into a fully dense metallic part or the like.
However, during debinding and sintering, the net shape may shrink
as binder escapes and a base material fuses into a dense final
part. If the foundation beneath the object does not shrink in a
corresponding fashion, the resulting stresses throughout the object
can lead to fracturing or other physical damage to the object
resulting in a failed fabrication. To address this issue, a variety
of techniques are disclosed for substrates and build plates that
contract in a manner complementary to the object during debinding
and sintering.
[0226] An object 1102 fabricated from a sinterable build material
will generally shrink as debinding and sintering occur. A support
structure 1104 for the object 1102 may also usefully shrink at a
similar or identical rate engineered to provide structural support
to the object 1102 as needed during, e.g., debinding and sintering.
Sintering setters 1106 or other prefabricated substrates may also
be used when sintering to reduce deformation, e.g., as a result of
physical displacement of surfaces of the shrinking object relative
to an underlying surface as the part shrinks and various part
surfaces drag along. While this may work for certain object shapes
and sizes, the planar contraction within a sintering setter 1106
may not accommodate the range of parts that might be fabricated
with an additive manufacturing system. As such, a shrinking
substrate 1108 may be used, either on a sintering setter 1106 or
some other surface, to ensure that a surface under the object 1102
shrinks in a manner consistent with the object 1102 to mitigate or
avoid object deformation. In one aspect, the shrinking substrate
1108 may be fabricated with the build material used to fabricate
the object 1102, or with another material having a matched
shrinkage profile during debinding, sintering, or both. The object
1102 may be separated from the shrinking substrate 1108 and the
support structure 1104 using an interface layer such as any of the
interface layers described herein.
[0227] FIG. 12 shows a top view of an object on a shrinking
substrate. While the shrinking substrate 1208 may nominally have a
shrinkage rate matched to the object 1202, the surface of the
object 1202 where it mates with the shrinking substrate 1208 may
actually have varying shrinkage properties as a function of the
three-dimensional shape of the object 1202. This may be addressed
by creating a number of independent rafts or shrinking substrates
1208 for different contact surfaces of the object 1202, which may
then be coupled to one another by tie bars, straps, or the like
that are configured to shrink and that draw the rafts toward one
another in a manner that matches the shrinkage of the object 1202
as debinding and sintering occurs. In one aspect, a convex hull of
a projection of the object 1202 onto the shrinking substrate 1208
provides a shape that shrinks in a manner consistent with the
object 1202. Thus, a shrinking substrate 1208 may usefully be
fashioned by determining a convex hull of a projection of the
object 1202 and offsetting this convex hull to provide a margin
1210 around the object 1202 for mechanical stability. The shrinking
substrate 1208 may also usefully be provided with perforations 1212
in any suitable size, shape, and arrangement to permit drainage of
a chemical solvent or the like from areas within the projection
that are bounded on all sides the by object 1202 and bounded on the
bottom by the shrinking substrate 1208.
[0228] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method for fabricating
shrinkable support structures.
[0229] As shown in step 1304, the method 1300 may include providing
a base for fabricating an object. The base may, for example,
include a build plate, a sintering setter, or any other suitable
support for an object to be fabricated using techniques
contemplated herein. The base may optionally be a shrinking base
that shrinks during debinding and/or sintering, or the base may be
a reusable base that can be returned to a printer after
post-processing.
[0230] As shown in step 1306, the method 1300 may include providing
a support structure such as any of the shrinkable substrates
contemplated herein. This may, for example, include fabricating the
support structure on a build plate formed of a material that is
itself debindable and sinterable, e.g., that shrinks with the
object during sintering. Where the support structure is a build
plate, the method 1300 may include fabricating a build plate for
use as the support structure by injection molding the build plate
with a second material having at least one of a debind shrinkage
rate and a sintering shrinkage rate matching the build material
used to fabricate the object. Where the substrate is fabricated
locally, providing the support structure may include fabricating a
substrate for the object from a second material having at least one
of a debind shrinkage rate and a sintering shrinkage rate matching
the build material.
[0231] As noted above, the substrate may include two or more
independent substrate plates coupled by a number of tie bars that
move the independent substrate plates together at a rate
corresponding to a shrinkage of the object during at least one of
debind and sintering. Where the object has two or more discrete and
separate contact surfaces in a plane along a top surface of the
substrate, the substrate may include two or more corresponding
separate substrate regions formed about a projection of each of the
two or more discrete and separate contact surfaces, and the
substrate may include at least one tie bar, strap, or similar
structure coupling the two or more discrete and separate contact
surfaces to one another in order to facilitate a movement of the
corresponding separate substrate regions in a manner geographically
matched to a motion of the two or more discrete and separate
contact surfaces during at least one of debind and shrinkage. In
another aspect, a shape of the substrate may be based upon a convex
hull of a projection of the object into a plane of a build plate
that receives the object during fabrication. As described above,
the shape may, for example, be a shell or outline uniformly
displaced by a predetermined offset from the convex hull of the
projection. An interior region, e.g., a region within the surface
of the substrate enclosed by walls of the object fabricated
thereon, may contain an opening to facilitate drainage of chemical
solvents or the like during subsequent processing. Thus, the
substrate may have an opening with a shape based on interior walls
of the object, or derived from a predetermined inward offset from a
boundary of the projection of the convex hull of the object.
[0232] In addition to providing shrinkable substrates, providing a
support structure may include providing other support structures
described herein. For example, providing a support structure may
include fabricating a structural support for at least one of a
bridge or an overhang in the object from a second material having
at least one of a debind shrinkage rate and a sintering shrinkage
rate matching the build material. For these support structures,
interface layers as contemplated above may usefully be employed,
and the support structure may be fabricated from a support material
such as a ceramic powder that does not solidify during sintering,
optionally along with a binder system that shrinks with the build
material of the object.
[0233] As shown in step 1308, the method 1300 may include providing
perforations in the support structure, such as prefabricated
perforations in a prefabricated support structure, or a fixed or
variable pattern of perforations where the support structure is
fabricated specifically for an object. In general, the substrate
may usefully incorporate a plurality of perforations or the like
through the substrate and positioned to provide a drainage route
through the substrate for a debind solvent. While straight,
vertical through holes may conveniently be employed, other
configurations are also possible. Thus, for example, the plurality
of perforations may extend from a top surface of the substrate to a
bottom surface of the substrate within regions of the substrate
where an adjacent layer of the object does not vertically cover the
substrate, or the perforations may extend from a top surface of the
substrate to one or more side surfaces of the substrate, e.g., to
provide a horizontal drainage path toward exterior edges of the
projection of the substrate (or to any other useful location or
combination of locations). The perforations may, for example, be
positioned within a region of the substrate enclosed in an x-y
plane of the substrate by a vertical wall of the object extending
in a z-axis from the top surface of the substrate and surrounding
the region of the substrate. In one aspect, the substrate may be
fabricated with a regular pattern of perforations independent of a
shape of an object fabricated thereupon. In another aspect,
perforations may be omitted below the object (e.g., to avoid
perforation-based surface artifacts on the object), such that the
substrate forms a continuous, closed surface below a projection of
the object into a plane of a build plate that receives the object
during fabrication.
[0234] As shown in step 1310, the method 1300 may include
fabricating an interface layer. In general, interface layers may
usefully be incorporated between the shrinking substrate and the
object, or between the object and other support structures, or
between the shrinking substrate and a build plate, sintering
setter, or other base that carries the object.
[0235] As shown in step 1312, the method 1300 may include
fabricating an object on the shrinking substrate. As described
above, this may for example include fabricating an object from a
build material on the support structure (including the shrinking
substrate), where the object has a net shape based on a
computerized model, where the build material includes a powdered
material for forming a final part and a binder system including one
or more binders, where the one or more binders resist deformation
of the object during a fabrication, a debinding, and a sintering of
the object into the final part, and where the support structure is
configured to match a shrinkage of the object during at least one
of the debinding and the sintering.
[0236] As shown in step 1314, the method 1300 may include
post-processing such as any of the shaping, debinding, sintering,
or finishing steps described herein.
[0237] According to the foregoing, there is also disclosed herein
an additive fabrication system for fabricating an object on a
shrinking substrate. This system may, for example, include a build
plate, a supply of build material, and an additive fabrication
system. The build material may include any of the build materials
described herein, such as a powdered material for forming a final
part and a binder system including one or more binders, where the
one or more binders resist deformation of the build material during
fabricating, debinding, and sintering of the build material into
the final part. The additive fabrication system may be any of the
additive fabrication systems contemplated herein, and may be
configured to fabricate an object on the build plate from the build
material, where the additive fabrication system imparts a net shape
to the build material based on a computerized model and the
additive fabrication system is configured to provide a build
surface such as a shrinking substrate having a shrinkage rate
matching at least one of a debind shrinkage rate and a sintering
shrinkage rate of the build material.
[0238] As discussed above, the build surface may include a
preformed substrate, or the build surface may be a shrinking
substrate fabricated for a specific object. For example, the build
surface may include a shrinking substrate fabricated below a convex
hull of a projection of the object into a plane of the build plate,
and more specifically having a shape based on the convex hull of
the projection of the object into the plane of the build plate. The
system may also include a debinding station to remove at least one
of the one or more binders from the build material in the object
and a sintering oven to heat the object to form bonds between
particles of the powdered material. The additive fabrication system
may, for example, include at least one of a binder jet system or a
fused filament fabrication system.
[0239] There is also disclosed herein an article of manufacture
including a base plate with a shrinkable substrate and an object
formed of a sinterable build material such as any of those
described herein.
[0240] FIG. 14 shows a flow chart of a method for independently
fabricating objects and object supports. Additive fabrication
systems generally use support structures to expand the available
range of features and geometries in fabricated objects. For
example, when a vertical shelf or cantilever extends from an
object, a supplemental support structure may be required to provide
a surface that this feature can be fabricated upon. This process
may become more difficult when, e.g., a part will be subjected to
downstream processing steps such as debinding or sintering that
impose different design rules. To address these challenges and
provide a greater range of flexibility and processing speed, it may
be useful in certain circumstances to independently fabricate the
object and support structures, and then assemble these structures
into a composite item for debinding and sintering. This approach
also advantageously facilitates various techniques for spraying,
dipping, or otherwise applying a release layer between the support
structure and the part so that these separate items do not become
fused together during sintering.
[0241] As shown in step 1404, the method 1400 may include
fabricating a support structure for an object from a first
material. Fabricating the support structure may, for example,
include additively manufacturing the support structure using at
least one of fused filament fabrication, binder jetting, and
optical curing of a powder-loaded resin.
[0242] As shown in step 1406, the method 1400 may include
fabricating the object. This may include fabricating the object
from a second material, the object including a surface positionable
adjacent to and supportable by the support structure, where the
second material includes powdered material for forming a final
part. A binder system may include a first binder that resists
deformation of a net shape of the object during fabrication and a
second binder that resists deformation of the net shape of the
object during sintering of the object into the final part.
[0243] In one aspect, the first material of the support structure
and the second material of the object may be substantially similar
or include identical compositions. Thus, the first material and the
second material may be deposited from a single source, such as by
extruding a single build material for both from a single extruder
of a fused filament fabrication system. The first material and the
second material may also or instead have substantially matched
shrinkage rates during debinding and sintering of the first
material. The powdered material of the first material may include a
metal powder, a ceramic powder, or any sinterable material. The
binder system may include a first binder and a second binder, where
the first binder is selected to resist deformation of the net shape
of the object during debinding of the object and a second binder
selected to resist deformation of the net shape of the object
during a thermal sintering cycle used to sinter the object.
[0244] In general, fabricating the object may include additively
manufacturing the object using at least one of fused filament
fabrication, binder jetting, and optical curing of a powder-loaded
resin.
[0245] As shown in step 1408, the method 1400 may optionally
include removing the first binder of the object. By performing this
step on the object, and possibly the support structure where
similar binder systems are used, subsequent processing may be
performed more quickly than if, for example, the object and support
structure are assembled together and the surfaces through which
debinding might otherwise occur become occluded.
[0246] As shown in step 1410, the method may include applying an
interface layer to the object or the support structure (or both).
Applying the interface layer may include applying the interface
layer using at least one of fused filament fabrication, binder
jetting, and optical curing of a powder-loaded resin. The interface
layer may, for example, include any of the interface layers
contemplated herein, and may generally resist bonding of the
support structure to the object during sintering.
[0247] In one aspect, applying the interface layer may include
applying an interface layer to a least one of the support structure
and the object at a location corresponding to the surface of the
object positionable adjacent to and supportable by the support
structure. Applying the interface layer may also or instead include
applying a ceramic-loaded slurry onto the support structure or
applying a ceramic suspension onto the support structure. A variety
of other techniques may also or instead be used to apply the
interface layer. For example, applying the interface layer may
include spraying the interface layer onto at least one of the
support structure and the object. Applying the interface layer may
include dipping at least one of the support structure and the
object into an interface material. Applying the interface layer may
include micropipetting the interface layer onto at least one of the
support structure and the object.
[0248] As shown in step 1412, the method may include assembling the
support structure and the object together into an assembled
workpiece. This may include assembling the pieces so that the
surface of the object is positioned adjacent to and supported by
the support structure. This may also include positioning the
assembled workpiece on a build plate configured to shrink at a
substantially equal rate to the object during at least one of
debinding and sintering.
[0249] As shown in step 1414, the method 1400 may include debinding
the assembled workpiece, such as by using any of the debinding
techniques contemplated herein.
[0250] As shown in step 1416, the method 1400 may include sintering
the assembled workpiece, such as by using any of the sintering
techniques contemplated herein.
[0251] As shown in step 1418, the method 1400 may include finishing
the object, which may include disassembling the sintered workpiece
to retrieve the final part, along with any other appropriate
finishing or post-processing steps.
[0252] FIG. 15 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating
multi-part assemblies. By forming release layers between features
such as bearings or gear teeth, complex mechanical assemblies can
be fabricated in a single additive manufacturing process.
Furthermore, by using support structures that can be dissolved in a
debinding step, or that otherwise decompose into a powder or other
form, support material can usefully be removed from these
assemblies after sintering.
[0253] In one aspect, a non-structural support at the interface,
e.g. a pure binder that does not sinter into a structural object,
may be used to facilitate the additive manufacture of nested parts.
For example, a complete gear box or the like may be fabricated
within an enclosure, with the surfaces between gear teeth
fabricated with a non-sintering binder or other material. In one
aspect, critical mechanical interfaces for such mechanical parts
may be oriented to the fabrication process, e.g., by orienting
mating surfaces vertically so that smaller resolutions can be used.
More generally, the capability to print adjacent, non-coupled parts
may be used to fabricate multiple physically related parts in a
single print job. This may, for example, include hinges, gears,
captive bearings, or other nested or interrelated parts.
Non-sintering support material may be extracted, e.g., using an
ultrasonicator, fluid cleaning, or other techniques after the
object is sintered to a final form. In an aspect, the binder is
loaded with a non-sintering additive such as ceramic or a
dissimilar, higher sintering temp metal.
[0254] This general approach may also affect the design of the
part. For example, axles may employ various anti-backlash
techniques so that the sintered part is more securely retained
during movement and use. Similarly, fluid paths may be provided for
fluid cleaning, and removal paths may be created for interior
support structures. This technique may also be used to address
other printing challenges. For example, support structures within
partially enclosed spaces may be fabricated for removal through
some removal path after the object is completed. If the support
structures are weakly connected, or unconnected, to the fabricated
object, they can be physically manipulated for extraction through
the removal path. In an aspect, parts may be "glued" together with
an appropriate (e.g., the same) MIM material to make larger parts
that essentially have no joints once sintered.
[0255] A method 1500 for fabricating multipart components is now
described in greater detail.
[0256] As shown in step 1504, the method 1500 may include
fabricating a first object from a first material. The first
material may include any of the material systems described herein,
such as a powdered material and a binder system, the binder system
including a first binder that resists deformation of a net shape of
the first material during fabrication and a second binder that
resists deformation of the net shape of the first material during
sintering of the first material into a final part. The powdered
material may, for example, include a powdered metal.
[0257] Fabricating, as contemplated herein for this step and
subsequent steps, may include fabricating using a fused filament
fabrication process, a binder jetting process, or a
stereolithography process, as well as combinations of these and
other supplemental additive and subtractive fabrication processes
described herein.
[0258] As shown in step 1506, the method 1500 may include applying
an interface layer to a first surface of the first object. The
interface layer may usefully reduce to a powder during sintering of
the first material, e.g., so that the material can be removed after
fabrication. The interface layer may, for example, include a
powdered ceramic having a substantially higher sintering
temperature than the powdered material used in the first object
(and second object, below). In general, applying the interface
layer may include fabricating the interface layer using the
techniques noted above. Applying the interface layer may also or
instead include one or more of inkjetting, micropipetting, and
painting an interface material onto the first surface to form the
interface layer. In this context, the interface material may, for
example, include a ceramic-loaded polymer, a ceramic-loaded
suspension, a ceramic-loaded slurry, or any other ceramic and
carrier combination suitable for distribution onto one of the
object surfaces to form an interface layer.
[0259] As shown in step 1508, the method may include fabricating a
second object. This may include fabricating a second surface of the
second object from a second material at a location adjacent to the
interface layer and opposing the first surface of the first object,
where the second object is structurally independent from and
mechanically related to the first object, and where the interface
layer resists bonding of the first surface to the second surface
during sintering. It will be understood that fabricating the second
object may be performed prior to, after, or concurrently with
fabricating the first object. Thus, while the method 1500 described
herein generally contemplates concurrent fabrication of
interrelated mechanical assemblies, this may also or instead
include separate manufacture and assembly of parts as described
above with reference to FIG. 14. These techniques may thus be used
alone or in any useful combination to facilitate the fabrication of
complex mechanical assemblies based on computerized models using
sinterable, metal-bearing build materials.
[0260] The materials of the first object and the second object,
e.g., an object and a support for the object, or an object and a
complementary mechanical part such as a mating gear, may have
generally complementary properties. The first material (of the
support) and the second material (of the object) may be supplied
from a single source of build material, such as an extruder of a
fused filament fabrication system or a container of
stereolithography resin, and may have a substantially common
composition. The first material and the second material may also or
instead have substantially similar shrinkage rates during a thermal
sintering cycle.
[0261] The first object and the second object may be mechanically
or structurally related in a number of different ways. For example,
the first object and the second object may form a multi-part
mechanical assembly such as a hinge, a gear set, a bearing, a
clamp, and so forth. For example, the first object and the second
object may include complementary gears, or one of the first object
and the second object may include an axel or a bearing. The
multi-part assembly may also include one or more parts moving
within a casing. Where the casing encloses the multi-part
mechanical assembly, or otherwise requires internal print support,
sinter support or the like, an exit path may be provided. Thus, the
method 1500 may include providing a physical exit path from the
casing for a third material of the interface layer, either by
printing the casing with the physical exit path or by adding the
physical exit path with a subtractive tool after the casing is
printed. The method 1500 may also or instead include providing a
physical exit path within the multi-part mechanical assembly for
extraction of a support material. To facilitate removal in this
manner, the support material may reduce to a powder during
sintering of the first material. In another aspect, the support
material may be a dissolvable material, and the method 1500 may
include dissolving the support material in a solvent and removing
the support material and solvent through the physical exit path.
This may, for example, occur during a chemical debind, or as an
independent step for support removal.
[0262] As shown in step 1514, the method 1500 may include debinding
the first object and the second object using any of the debinding
techniques contemplated herein.
[0263] As shown in step 1516, the method 1500 may include sintering
the first object and the second object using any of the sintering
techniques contemplated herein.
[0264] As shown in step 1518, the method 1500 may include finishing
the first object and the second object using any of the techniques
contemplated herein.
[0265] FIG. 16 illustrates a mechanical assembly in a casing. In
general, the mechanical assembly 1600 may include any number of
interrelated parts such as gears 1602, axels 1604, springs 1606,
moving arms 1608, and so forth. The mechanical assembly 1600 may
include a casing 1610 that is fabricated, e.g., concurrently with
the mechanical assembly 1600 using an additive fabrication process,
and that encloses some or all of the moving parts of the mechanical
assembly 1600. The casing 1610 may also, where useful, incorporate
passages to exterior surfaces for switches, buttons, or other
controls, or for more generally coupling to moving parts outside
the casing 1610 through the walls of the casing 1610. As described
above, individual components of the mechanical assembly 1600 may be
fabricated in place, e.g., in intimate mechanical engagement with
one another. In order to maintain at least partial mechanical
independence, individual components of the mechanical assembly 1600
may also by physically separated using an interface layer as
described above. However, the material of the interface layer, as
well as any support structures or the like used to fabricate
objects inside the casing 1610, may require removal after
fabrication in order for the components of the mechanical assembly
to function as intended. Thus, the casing 1610 may usefully
incorporate a physical exit path 1612 in order to facilitate the
ingress of solvents or cleaning fluids, and the egress of such
fluids along with materials of the interface layers and/or support
structures within the casing 1610.
[0266] A second passageway 1614 may also be provided, which
facilitates flushing of the interior of the casing 1610 by
providing a solvent or other cleaning fluid or the like through one
passageway, e.g., the physical exit path 1612 and out another
passageway, e.g. the second passageway 1614.
[0267] In another aspect, modular support structures 1620 may be
fabricated within the casing 1610, with individual elements of the
modular support structures 1620 separated by an interface layer to
permit disassembly and individual removal. Thus, the physical exit
path 1612 may also provide a passageway for removal of modular
support structures 1620, as discussed in greater detail below.
[0268] FIG. 17 shows a flow chart of a method for fabricating
removable sinter supports. Additive fabrication systems such as
those described herein generally use support structures to expand
the available range of features and geometries in fabricated
objects. For example, when an overhang or cantilever extends from
an object, a supplemental support structure may be required to
provide a surface that this feature can be fabricated upon. This
process may become more difficult when a surface requiring support
is enclosed within a cavity inside an object being fabricated.
Techniques are disclosed herein for fabricating supports that can
be removed from within cavities in an object.
[0269] As shown in step 1704, the method 1700 may begin with
fabricating an object with a cavity. For example, this may include
fabricating an object from a build material using an additive
fabrication process, where the object has a cavity and a passageway
(such as the cavity and the physical exit path described above).
The cavity may generally include an interior surface requiring
support during fabrication, such as an interior wall of the cavity
or a surface of an independent mechanical part within the cavity.
The passageway may generally provide an open passage between the
cavity and an exterior environment for the object. In another
aspect, the cavity may be fabricated with a plurality of
passageways arranged to facilitate flushing fluid in from a first
one of the passageways through the cavity and out through a second
one of the passageways.
[0270] In another aspect, fabricating the object may include
fabricating an object from a build material using an additive
fabrication process, where the build material includes a powdered
build material and a binder system, the binder system including a
first binder that resists deformation of a net shape of the object
during fabrication and a second binder that resists deformation of
the net shape of the object during sintering of the object into a
final part, and where the object has a cavity and a passageway, the
cavity including an interior surface requiring support during
fabrication and the passageway providing an open passage between
the cavity and an exterior environment for the object.
[0271] In general, the object may be fabricated using any of the
techniques, and with any of the build materials, described herein.
Thus, for example, the build material may include a powdered
material (such as a metallic powder) and a binder system, the
binder system including a first binder that resists deformation of
a net shape of the object during fabrication and a second binder
that resists deformation of the net shape of the object during
sintering of the object into a final part.
[0272] As shown in step 1706, the method 1700 may include
fabricating a support structure for the interior surface within the
cavity. In one aspect, the support structure may include a
composite support structure formed from a plurality of independent
support structures such as the modular support structures described
above, which may be configured to collectively provide support to
the interior surface to satisfy a fabrication rule for the build
material. Although the passageway may be smaller than the composite
support structure, each of the independent support structures may
be shaped and sized for individual removal from the cavity through
the passageway, thus facilitating removal of large support
structures through a small passageway in an enclosure such as the
cavity. For example, the composite support structure may have a
shape with dimensions collectively too large to pass through a
smallest width of the passageway. Or, for example, where the
passageway forms a tortuous path, the passageway may not provide a
draw path for removal of the composite support structure as a rigid
object, while independent support structures that make up the
composite support structure may be removed one at a time through
the passageway. Similarly, in this context, the term cavity is
intended to include any partially enclosed or wholly enclosed space
with an interior volume that contains, or might contain, a support
structure that cannot, as a composite structure, be extracted
through a passageway into the cavity from an exterior space.
[0273] In another aspect, the support structure may be fabricated
from a powdered support material in a matrix such as any of the
powdered materials and binders or the like described herein. This
may facilitate a range of other removal techniques. For example,
the method 1700 may include dissolving the matrix during a debind
(as described below), or removing the matrix during sintering of
the object. The method 1700 may also or instead include reducing
the support structure to a powder by removing the matrix through
any suitable means. Where the support structure can be reduced to a
powder, the method 1700 may further include removing the powdered
support material from the cavity, e.g., by flushing with a gas, a
liquid, or any other suitable cleaning medium.
[0274] As shown in step 1708, the method may include fabricating an
interface layer. This may, for example, include fabricating an
interface layer between the support structure and a supported
surface, or between the support structure and another surface such
as an interior wall of the cavity that provides the support
(through the support structure) for the supported surface, or
between one of the plurality of independent support structures and
an adjacent portion of the interior surface of the cavity. This may
also usefully include fabricating an interface layer between each
of the plurality of independent support structures to facilitate
disassembly and removal of each of the plurality of independent
support structures from the cavity through the passageway. It will
be understood that while illustrated as occurring after fabricating
the support structure, fabrication of the interface layer will
occur in-between layers of the independent support structures, and
as such, may be performed before, during, and/or after fabrication
of the independent support structures as necessary to render a
composite support structure that can be disassembled and
removed.
[0275] In general, one or more interface layers may be fabricated
from any of the interface materials contemplated herein. For
example, the interface layer may be formed of an interface material
including a ceramic powder, or any other interface material that
resists bonding of the support structure to the interior surface of
the object during sintering.
[0276] As shown in step 1710, the method 1700 may include removing
the support structure, e.g., using any of the techniques described
herein.
[0277] As shown in step 1714, the method 1700 may include debinding
the object. In one embodiment, the support structure is a
fabrication support structure (as distinguished, e.g., from a
sintering support structure), and the interface layer is removable
with the debind. In this arrangement, the method 1700 may include
removing the support structure after debinding (e.g., after the
interface layer has been removed) and before sintering.
[0278] As shown in step 1716, the method 1700 may include sintering
the object, e.g., using any of the sintering techniques described
herein.
[0279] As shown in step 1718, the method 1700 may include finishing
the object, which may include cleaning, flushing, polishing, or
otherwise finishing the object and preparing the object for an
intended use.
[0280] While the foregoing discussion expressly contemplates the
removal of multi-part supporting structures from interior cavities,
it will be readily appreciated that the same or similar techniques
may also or instead be used to fabricate multi-part support
structures for exterior surfaces of an object. This may be useful
in numerous fabrication contexts, such as where the support
structures fully or partially enclose a fabricated object in a
manner that creates mold lock--a condition where the object is
mechanically locked or enclosed within an associated support
structure. In this context, a multi-part support structure may
usefully be fabricated with non-sinterable interface regions in
between so that the support structure can be easily disassembled
and removed after sintering (and infiltration where applicable) of
the object into a densified part.
[0281] Thus, in one aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
fabricating, from a first material, a support structure for an
object, the support structure including two or more discrete
support components; forming an interface layer including a first
portion of the interface layer adjacent to the support structure
and a second portion of the interface layer between the two or more
discrete support components; and fabricating a surface of the
object from a second material, the surface of the object adjacent
to the first portion of the interface layer and the second material
including a powdered material for forming a final part and a binder
system including one or more binders, where the one or more binders
resist deformation of a net shape of the object during processing
of the object into the final part, where processing of the object
into the final part includes debinding the net shape to remove at
least a portion of the one or more binders and sintering the net
shape to join and densify the powdered material, and where the
interface layer resists bonding of the support structure to the
object during sintering.
[0282] The two or more discrete support components may, for
example, be the modular support structures described above,
configured for removal from an interior cavity, or the two or more
discrete support components may be exterior modular support
structures that enclose the object, e.g., to form a locked mold
about the object.
[0283] In another aspect, a method disclosed herein includes
receiving such an article at a service bureau or the like for
subsequent processing. Thus, the method may include receiving an
article including a support structure fabricated from a first
material, an object, and an interface layer, where the support
structure includes two or more discrete support components for
supporting an the object, where the interface layer includes a
first portion of the interface layer adjacent to the support
structure and a second portion of the interface layer between the
two or more discrete support components, and where the object
includes a surface fabricated from a second material including a
powdered material for forming a final part and a binder system
including one or more binders, where the one or more binders resist
deformation of a net shape of the object during processing of the
object into the final part, where processing of the object into the
final part includes sintering the net shape to join and densify the
powdered material, and where the interface layer resists bonding of
the support structure to the object during sintering; and
processing the article into the final part, where processing the
article includes at least one of debinding the article and
sintering the article, and where processing the article further
includes separating the object from the support structure at the
interface layer.
[0284] The support structure formed of the two or more discrete
support components may, for example, include a print support for
the object, e.g., that provides a surface for fabricated a layer of
the object thereupon. The two or more discrete support components
may also or instead include a debinding support for the object that
resists deformation of the object during debinding. The support
structure may also or instead include a sintering support for the
object, e.g., that resists slumping, fracturing, or other
deformation of the object during sintering into a final part.
[0285] Similarly, an article contemplated herein may include
multiple, separate support structures separated by interface layers
to facilitate disassembly after sintering. Thus, an article
contemplated herein includes an object formed of a build material,
the build material including a interable powdered material for
forming a final part at a sintering temperature, where the build
material includes a binder system containing one or more binders
retaining the sinterable powdered material in a net shape of the
object prior to densifying the sinterable powdered material into
the final part; a support structure for the object, the support
structure positioned adjacent to a surface of the object to provide
mechanical support during at least one of printing the object,
debinding the object, and sintering the object, the support
structure formed of one or more other materials having a shrinkage
rate during at least one of debinding and sintering coordinated
with a second shrinkage rate of the build material, where the
support structure includes two or more discrete components; and an
interface layer disposed between the support structure and the
surface of the object and between each of the two or more discrete
components of the support structure, the interface layer containing
a composition that resists bonding of the support structure to the
surface of the object or other ones of the two or more discrete
components through the interface layer during sintering.
[0286] The support structure may for example form a locked mold
enclosing the object. In this context, the two or more discrete
components may, when separated after sintering, disassemble to
release the object from the locked mold. In another aspect, the
support structure may form an interior support within a cavity of
the object. In this interior context, the two or more discrete
components may, when separated after sintering, disassemble for
removal from the cavity.
[0287] FIG. 18 shows a flow chart of a method for forming an
interface layer in a binder jetting process. Binder jetting
techniques can be used to deposit and bind metallic particles or
the like in a net shape for debinding and sintering into a final
part. Where support structures are required to mitigate deformation
of the object during the debinding and/or sintering, an interface
layer may usefully be formed between the support structures and
portions of the object in order to avoid bonding of the support
structure to the object during sintering.
[0288] As shown in step 1804, the method 1800 may begin with
depositing layers of powdered material. This may, for example,
include depositing a number of layers of a powdered material in a
bed such by spreading powdered material in a powder bed as
described above. The powdered material may include a metallic
powder or any other sinterable powder or the like formed of a
material selected for sintering into a final part. In order to
apply powder more quickly, depositing layers of powder may include
applying successive layers of the powdered material in opposing
directions with a bi-directional spreader.
[0289] As shown in step 1806, the method 1800 may include applying
a first binder to form a support. This may include applying a first
binder in a first pattern to the number of layers as they are
deposited to form a support structure from the powdered material
within the bed.
[0290] As shown in step 1808, the method 1800 may include applying
a second binder to form an object. For example, this may include
applying a second binder in a second pattern to the number of
layers as they are deposited to form an object from the powdered
material within the bed. It will be appreciated that the support
structure may be formed beneath, above, or vertically adjacent to
the object, or some combination of these, according to the geometry
of the object and any needed support. The first binder (for the
support) and the second binder (for the object) may be
substantially similar or identical binder systems deposited from a
single print head.
[0291] In one aspect, the second binder may usefully incorporate a
secondary infiltrate selected to modify properties of a final part
formed by sintering the object. For example, the secondary
infiltrant may include at least one of a carbon, a boron, and a
metal salt to increase strength of the object.
[0292] As shown in step 1810, the method 1800 may include applying
an interface material at an interface between the support structure
and the object, where the interface material resists bonding of the
support structure to the object during sintering.
[0293] The interface material may, for example, include a colloidal
suspension of ceramic particles sized to infiltrate the sinterable
powder in a surface of the support structure adjacent to the
object. For example, where the sinterable powder used to form the
object has a mean particles size of about ten to thirty-five
microns, the ceramic particles may usefully have a mean particle
size of less than one micron, or more generally at least one order
of magnitude smaller than a similarly measure mean particle size of
the sinterable powder. The interface layer may, for example, be
applied by jetting the interface material through a jetting print
head such as a binder jetting print head or any other suitable
print head or distribution mechanism.
[0294] The interface layer may also or instead include a layer of
ceramic particles deposited at a surface of the support structure
adjacent to the object. The layer of ceramic particles may be
solidified to prevent displacement by subsequent layers of the
sinterable powder, thereby forming a sinter-resistant ceramic layer
between the support structure and the object. For example, the
layer of ceramic particles may be deposited in a curable carrier,
and the method 1800 may include curing the curable carrier
substantially concurrently with deposition on the sinterable
powder.
[0295] In one aspect, the interface material, may include a
material that remains as an interface layer physically separating
the support structure from the object after debind and into a
thermal sintering cycle. For example, an interface material may be
deposited in an intermitten pattern between the support structure
and the object to create a corresponding pattern of gaps between
the support structure and the object. If cured in these locations,
a subsequent powder layer may be displaced from locations carrying
the interface material, with a resulting intermittent structure
mechanically coupling the support to the object. This configuration
may effectively weaken a mechanical structure between the support
structure and the object to facilitate removal of the support
structure, e.g., after debinding or sintering as appropriate, while
retaining enough structure to provide the required support for
printing, debinding, and/or sintering. The size and shape of gaps
between regions of interface material may depend, for example, on
the nature of the build materials and the debinding and sintering
process. But in general, any pattern may be used provided that the
support and the object can retain their respective structure
through subsequent processing.
[0296] Where the first binder used to form the support structure
(or the second binder used to form the object) is debindable with a
chemical solvent, the interface material may usefully be at least
partially non-soluble in the chemical solvent so that the interface
material remains wholly or partially intact through a chemical
debind of the support structure (and/or the obj ect).
[0297] In one aspect, the interface material may include a soluble
metal salt that transforms to a ceramic upon dehydration and
heating. For example, the interface material may include at least
one of a hydroxide, a chloride, a sulfate, a nitrate, an acetate,
and a stearate. The interface material may further include
aluminum, and the interface material may include at least one of
zirconium, yttrium, silicon, titanium, iron, magnesium, and
calcium.
[0298] In another aspect, the interface layer may be formed by
jetting or otherwise depositing a solution that precipitates a
non-sintering material. For example, aqueous solutions of aluminum
sulfate, aluminum nitrate, aluminum triacetate, or zirconium
acetate may be used. Other salts of elements that form chemically
resistant oxides upon decomposition may also or instead be used.
Similarly, an interface layer may usefully be jetted as a polymer
that decomposes into graphite (preferably where graphite is not
strongly reactive with the build material of the object).
[0299] As shown in step 1814, the method may include debinding the
object (and support structure, as appropriate) using any of the
debinding techniques described herein.
[0300] As shown in step 1816, the method 1800 may include sintering
the object (and support structure, as appropriate) in a thermal
sintering cycle using any of the sintering techniques described
herein.
[0301] As shown in step 1818, the method 1800 may include finishing
the object (and support structure, as appropriate) using any of the
techniques described herein.
[0302] The above systems, devices, methods, processes, and the like
may be realized in hardware, software, or any combination of these
suitable for a particular application. The hardware may include a
general-purpose computer and/or dedicated computing device. This
includes realization in one or more microprocessors,
microcontroller 308s, embedded microcontroller 308s, programmable
digital signal processors or other programmable devices or
processing circuitry, along with internal and/or external memory.
This may also, or instead, include one or more application specific
integrated circuits, programmable gate arrays, programmable array
logic components, or any other device or devices that may be
configured to process electronic signals. It will further be
appreciated that a realization of the processes or devices
described above may include computer-executable code created using
a structured programming language such as C, an object oriented
programming language such as C++, or any other high-level or
low-level programming language (including assembly languages,
hardware description languages, and database programming languages
and technologies) that may be stored, compiled or interpreted to
run on one of the above devices, as well as heterogeneous
combinations of processors, processor architectures, or
combinations of different hardware and software. In another aspect,
the methods may be embodied in systems that perform the steps
thereof, and may be distributed across devices in a number of ways.
At the same time, processing may be distributed across devices such
as the various systems described above, or all of the functionality
may be integrated into a dedicated, standalone device or other
hardware. In another aspect, means for performing the steps
associated with the processes described above may include any of
the hardware and/or software described above. All such permutations
and combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0303] Embodiments disclosed herein may include computer program
products comprising computer-executable code or computer-usable
code that, when executing on one or more computing devices,
performs any and/or all of the steps thereof. The code may be
stored in a non-transitory fashion in a computer memory, which may
be a memory from which the program executes (such as random access
memory associated with a processor), or a storage device such as a
disk drive, flash memory or any other optical, electromagnetic,
magnetic, infrared or other device or combination of devices. In
another aspect, any of the systems and methods described above may
be embodied in any suitable transmission or propagation medium
carrying computer-executable code and/or any inputs or outputs from
same.
[0304] It will be appreciated that the devices, systems, and
methods described above are set forth by way of example and not of
limitation. Absent an explicit indication to the contrary, the
disclosed steps may be modified, supplemented, omitted, and/or
re-ordered without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications
will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition,
the order or presentation of method steps in the description and
drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing
the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required
or otherwise clear from the context.
[0305] The method steps of the implementations described herein are
intended to include any suitable method of causing such method
steps to be performed, consistent with the patentability of the
following claims, unless a different meaning is expressly provided
or otherwise clear from the context. So, for example, performing
the step of X includes any suitable method for causing another
party such as a remote user, a remote processing resource (e.g., a
server or cloud computer) or a machine to perform the step of X.
Similarly, performing steps X, Y and Z may include any method of
directing or controlling any combination of such other individuals
or resources to perform steps X, Y and Z to obtain the benefit of
such steps. Thus, method steps of the implementations described
herein are intended to include any suitable method of causing one
or more other parties or entities to perform the steps, consistent
with the patentability of the following claims, unless a different
meaning is expressly provided or otherwise clear from the context.
Such parties or entities need not be under the direction or control
of any other party or entity, and need not be located within a
particular jurisdiction.
[0306] It will be appreciated that the methods and systems
described above are set forth by way of example and not of
limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other
modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the
description and drawings above is not intended to require this
order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is
expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus, while
particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications in form and details may be made therein without
departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are
intended to form a part of the invention as defined by the
following claims, which are to be interpreted in the broadest sense
allowable by law.
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