U.S. patent application number 17/744721 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-22 for system and method for forming material substrate printer.
The applicant listed for this patent is Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. Invention is credited to Andrew BAYRAMIAN, James A. DEMUTH, Bassem S. EL-DASHER, Kevin J. KRAMER.
Application Number | 20220297191 17/744721 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006391475 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220297191 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DEMUTH; James A. ; et
al. |
September 22, 2022 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMING MATERIAL SUBSTRATE PRINTER
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a system for manufacturing a
part via an additive manufacturing process. The system uses a
reservoir for containing a heated solution forming a mixture of a
volatile component and meltable powdered material particles, the
heated solution being heated to a point where the heated solution
is at least about to begin boiling. A nozzle associated with the
reservoir channels a quantity of the heated solution onto at least
one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer. A
processor controls a flow of the heated solution through the nozzle
onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed
material layer. A heat source responsive to the processor generates
heat to melt the powdered material particles. The heat source is
controlled to melt the powdered material particles after the
volatile component has at least substantially evaporated from the
mixture. The volatile component cools a previously formed material
layer before heating of the powdered material particles takes
place, and the heating of the particles fuses the particles into a
single structural layer, thus forming the part exclusively from the
particles.
Inventors: |
DEMUTH; James A.; (Mountain
View, CA) ; BAYRAMIAN; Andrew; (Manteca, CA) ;
EL-DASHER; Bassem S.; (Livermore, CA) ; KRAMER; Kevin
J.; (Redmond, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC |
Livermore |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000006391475 |
Appl. No.: |
17/744721 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16989463 |
Aug 10, 2020 |
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17744721 |
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14504646 |
Oct 2, 2014 |
10737324 |
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16989463 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 64/153 20170801;
B29C 64/165 20170801; B22F 12/00 20210101; Y02P 10/25 20151101;
B22F 10/10 20210101; B22F 1/107 20220101; B33Y 70/00 20141201; B33Y
10/00 20141201 |
International
Class: |
B22F 12/00 20060101
B22F012/00; B33Y 10/00 20060101 B33Y010/00; B33Y 70/00 20060101
B33Y070/00; B29C 64/153 20060101 B29C064/153; B29C 64/165 20060101
B29C064/165; B22F 1/107 20060101 B22F001/107 |
Goverment Interests
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] This invention was made with Government support under
Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 awarded by the United States
Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the
invention.
Claims
1. A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing
process, the system comprising: a reservoir for containing a heated
solution forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable
powdered material particles, the heated solution being heated to a
point where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling;
a nozzle operably associated with the reservoir for channeling a
quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or
a previously formed material layer; a processor configured to
control flow of the heated solution through the nozzle to enable
the heated solution to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate
or the previously formed material layer; a heat source responsive
to the processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the
meltable powdered material particles; wherein the heat source is
controlled to melt the meltable powdered material particles in the
quantity of the heated solution flowed onto at least one of the
substrate or a previously formed material layer after the volatile
component has at least substantially evaporated from the mixture,
the volatile component operating to cool a previously formed
material layer before heating of the meltable powdered material
particles takes place, and wherein the heating of the meltable
powdered material particles fuses the meltable powdered material
particles into a single structural layer; and wherein the part is
formed exclusively by the meltable powdered material particles.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to
alternately apply a quantity of the heated solution and then to
cause the heat source to heat the quantity of the heated solution,
in repeated fashion, to form multiple layers of the part in a layer
by layer fashion, wherein the multiple layers are fused to one
another.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the volatile component comprises
at least one of methanol, acetone or ethanol.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an additional
reservoir for holding an additional heated solution different from
the heated solution, and wherein quantities of the additional
heated solution are deposited by the processor and heated using the
heat source to help.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an additional
reservoir including a different heated solution.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the different heated solution
includes the meltable powdered material particles.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the different heated solution
includes different meltable powdered material particles.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further
configured to control the heat source to tailor an application of
heat to the different meltable powdered material particles to
achieve melting of the different meltable powdered material
particles.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat source comprises a
laser.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the laser comprises a diode
laser.
11. The system of claim 1, further including a memory for storing a
look-up table, the look-up table including at least one of times or
temperatures that need to be used to melt the meltable powdered
material particles.
12. A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing
process, the system comprising: a reservoir for containing a heated
solution forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable
powdered material particles, the heated solution being heated to a
point where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling;
a nozzle operably associated with the reservoir for channeling a
quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or
a previously formed material layer; a processor configured to
control flow of the heated solution through the nozzle to enable
the heated solution to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate
or the previously formed material layer; a heat source responsive
to the processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the
meltable powdered material particles; and wherein the heat source
is controlled to melt the meltable powdered material particles in
the quantity of the heated solution flowed onto at least one of the
substrate or a previously formed material layer after an expiration
of a predetermined time period sufficient to enable the volatile
component to be at least substantially evaporated from the mixture,
the volatile component providing a cooling effect on a previously
deposited material layer of a part being formed in a layer by layer
process, and such that the cooling takes place intermittently with
every application of a new quantity of the meltable powdered
material particles about to be fused to form a new structural layer
of the part; and wherein the heating of the meltable powdered
material particles fuses the meltable powdered material particles,
layer by layer, into a single structural layer; and wherein the
part is formed exclusively by the meltable powdered material
particles.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the volatile component
comprises at least one of methanol, acetone or ethanol.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the heat source is controlled
to melt an entire layer of the meltable powdered material particles
at once.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the heat source comprises a
laser.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the laser comprises a diode
laser.
17. The system of claim 11, further comprising an additional
reservoir for containing an additional heated solution containing
an additional quantity of meltable powdered material particles.
18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a first nozzle
associated with the reservoir, and a second nozzle associated with
the additional reservoir; and wherein the processor is configured
to control the first and second nozzles to control an application
of the heated solution and the additional heated solution during
manufacture of the part.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of: the heated
solution differs from the additional heated solution; or the
quantity of meltable powdered material particles differs from the
additional quantity of meltable powdered material particles.
20. A system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing
process, the system comprising: a first reservoir for containing a
first heated solution forming a mixture of a first volatile
component and a quantity of first meltable powdered material
particles; a first nozzle operably associated with the first
reservoir for channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at
least one of a substrate or a previously formed material layer; a
second reservoir for containing a second heated solution forming a
second mixture of a second volatile component and a quantity of
second meltable powdered material particles; a second nozzle
operably associated with the second reservoir to channeling a
quantity of the second heated solution onto at least one of the
substrate or the previously formed material layer; a processor
configured to control flow of the flows of the first heated
solution through the first nozzle and the second heated solution
through the second nozzle, to enable the first and second heated
solutions to be flowed onto at least one of the substrate or the
previously formed material layer; a laser configured to produce an
optical signal, the laser being responsive to the processor and
using the optical signal to generate heat sufficient to melt the
quantities of first and second meltable powdered material
particles; wherein the laser is controlled to melt the quantities
of first and second meltable powdered material particles in the
first and second heated solutions flowed onto at least one of the
substrate or a previously formed material layer after an expiration
of a predetermined time period sufficient to enable the volatile
components in the quantities of first and second heated solutions
to be at least substantially evaporated, the volatile component of
each of the first and second heated solutions providing a cooling
effect on a previously deposited material layer of a part being
formed in a layer by layer process, and such that the cooling takes
place intermittently with every application of a new quantity of
the first meltable powdered materials and the second meltable
powdered material particles about to be fused to form a new
structural layer of the structural part; and wherein the heating of
the first and second meltable powdered material particles fuses the
first and second meltable powdered material particles, layer by
layer, into a single structural layer; and wherein the part is
formed exclusively by the first and second meltable powdered
material particles.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional and claims priority of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 16/989,463, filed Aug. 10, 2020 and
presently allowed, which in turn claims priority from U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/504,646 filed on Oct. 2, 2014. The entire
disclosure of each of the above applications is incorporated herein
by reference.
FIELD
[0003] The present disclosure relates to additive manufacturing
systems and processes, and more particularly to an additive
manufacturing system and method which delivers a powdered material
suspended in a solution to a surface, after which the solution
evaporates leaving just the powdered material, which is then melted
by a heat source to form a material layer of a part.
BACKGROUND
[0004] The statements in this section merely provide background
information related to the present disclosure and may not
constitute prior art.
[0005] Current powder delivery systems for additive manufacturing
("AM") processes such as Selective Laser Sintering ("SLS"), Direct
Metal Laser Sintering ("DMLS"), or Diode based Additive
Manufacturing use a single type or composition of powder per part.
The powder is swept over a lowered part creation zone creating a
layer of powder of a specified thickness.
[0006] As layer upon layer of material is deposited in a
traditional SLS or DMLS system, the part being created grows
thicker and thicker. For the first few initial layers of part
creation, the heat delivered to melt the material is removed by
conduction to the base substrate that the powder is initially
deposited on. As the part becomes thicker and thicker, this
conduction pathway becomes insufficient at removing the excess heat
in the part. As a result, the part begins to rise in temperature.
The temperature of the part continues to increase as successive
materials layers are melted, until the part eventually reaches a
temperature which is just below the melting point of the powder.
Accordingly, cooling the part to permit the continued application
of material layers typically becomes a significant challenge.
Complicating this is the desire to be able to fully complete the
manufacture of the part, using the AM manufacturing process, in as
short a time as possible.
[0007] Also, in traditional SLS or DMLS systems, the powder bed is
filled with the powder to be melted, as well as a portion of the
powder which is not melted. This can result in the powder bed being
required to support significant weight when heavy and/or dense
powdered material types are being used.
SUMMARY
[0008] The present disclosure relates to a system for manufacturing
a part via an additive manufacturing process. The system may
comprise a reservoir for containing a heated solution forming a
mixture of a volatile component and meltable powdered material
particles, the heated solution being heated to a point where the
heated solution is at least about to begin boiling. A nozzle is
included which is operably associated with the reservoir for
channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one of a
substrate or a previously formed material layer. A processor is
included which is configured to control flow of the heated solution
through the nozzle to enable the heated solution to be flowed onto
at least one of the substrate or the previously formed material
layer. A heat source is included which is responsive to the
processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the meltable
powdered material particles. The heat source is controlled to melt
the meltable powdered material particles in the quantity of the
heated solution flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a
previously formed material layer after the volatile component has
at least substantially evaporated from the mixture. The volatile
component operates to cool a previously formed material layer
before heating of the meltable powdered material particles takes
place, and wherein the heating of the meltable powdered material
particles fuses the meltable powdered material particles into a
single structural layer. The part is thus formed exclusively by the
meltable powdered material particles.
[0009] In another aspect the present disclosure relates to a system
for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing process. The
system may comprise a reservoir for containing a heated solution
forming a mixture of a volatile component and meltable powdered
material particles, the heated solution being heated to a point
where the heated solution is at least about to begin boiling. A
nozzle is included which is operably associated with the reservoir
for channeling a quantity of the heated solution onto at least one
of a substrate or a previously formed material layer. A processor
is included which is configured to control flow of the heated
solution through the nozzle to enable the heated solution to be
flowed onto at least one of the substrate or the previously formed
material layer. A heat source is included which is responsive to
the processor for generating heat sufficient to melt the meltable
powdered material particles. The heat source is controlled to melt
the meltable powdered material particles in the quantity of the
heated solution flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a
previously formed material layer after an expiration of a
predetermined time period sufficient to enable the volatile
component to be at least substantially evaporated from the mixture.
The volatile component provides a cooling effect on a previously
deposited material layer of a part being formed in a layer by layer
process, and such that the cooling takes place intermittently with
every application of a new quantity of the meltable powdered
material particles about to be fused to form a new structural layer
of the structural part. The heating of the meltable powdered
material particles fuses the meltable powdered material particles,
layer by layer, into a single structural layer, and the part is
formed exclusively by the meltable powdered material particles.
[0010] In still another aspect the present disclosure relates to a
system for manufacturing a part via an additive manufacturing
process. The system comprises a first reservoir for containing a
first heated solution forming a mixture of a first volatile
component and a quantity of first meltable powdered material
particles. The system also comprises a first nozzle operably
associated with the first reservoir for channeling a quantity of
the heated solution onto at least one of a substrate or a
previously formed material layer. A second reservoir is included
for containing a second heated solution forming a second mixture of
a second volatile component and a quantity of second meltable
powdered material particles. A second nozzle is included which is
operably associated with the second reservoir to channeling a
quantity of the second heated solution onto at least one of the
substrate or the previously formed material layer. A processor is
included which is configured to control flow of the flows of the
first heated solution through the first nozzle and the second
heated solution through the second nozzle, to enable the first and
second heated solutions to be flowed onto at least one of the
substrate or the previously formed material layer. A laser is
included which is configured to produce an optical signal. The
laser is responsive to the processor and the optical signal
generates heat sufficient to melt the quantities of first and
second meltable powdered material particles. The laser is
controlled to melt the quantities of first and second meltable
powdered material particles in the first and second heated
solutions flowed onto at least one of the substrate or a previously
formed material layer after an expiration of a predetermined time
period sufficient to enable the volatile components in the
quantities of first and second heated solutions to be at least
substantially evaporated. The volatile component of each of the
first and second heated solutions provides a cooling effect on a
previously deposited material layer of a part being formed in a
layer by layer process, and such that the cooling takes place
intermittently with every application of a new quantity of the
first meltable powdered material particles and the second meltable
powdered material particles about to be fused to form a new
structural layer of the structural part. The heating of the
meltable powdered material particles fuses the meltable powdered
material particles, layer by layer, into a single structural layer,
and the part is formed exclusively by the meltable powdered
material particles.
[0011] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. It should be understood that the
description and specific examples are intended for purposes of
illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes
only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure in any way.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a high level illustration of a system in
accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0014] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating one example of operations
that may be performed by the system of FIG. 1 in carrying out an
Additive Manufacturing ("AM") process to manufacture a part.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and
is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or
uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings,
corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding
parts and features.
[0016] The system and method of the present disclosure makes use of
a cooling mechanism in the form of a volatile solvent. The volatile
solvent acts as a carrier fluid for material particles which are
deposited on a substrate, or on a previously formed layer, during
an additive manufacturing ("AM") process. The latent heat of
vaporization of the fluid is capable of removing a great deal of
heat and can effectively cool the surface of the part where it sees
the thermal heat flux, and is the hottest.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, a system 10 in accordance with one
embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The system 10
may include one or more material deposition components, in this
example nozzles 12-16, that are each able to deposit an associated
solution 12a-16a which includes particles, for example metallic
particles, that will be melted to form successive material layers
one on top of another. In this example the solutions 12a-16a each
include different types of particles 22a-22c, respectively. As a
result, a part made using the system 10 may be formed from a
plurality of different types of materials. This is in contrast to
traditional types of AM systems which are only able to make a part
using a single type of material.
[0018] While three nozzles 12-16 are illustrated, the system 10 is
not limited to use with any particular number of different nozzles
or material types. Thus, it is expected that the desired material
qualities and/or the specific type of part being manufactured may
dictate whether one, two, three or more different material types
will be chosen/required for making a specific part.
[0019] Each of the nozzles 12-16 includes an associated reservoir
R1, R2 and R3, where a specific solution is contained that is
deposited through its associated nozzle 12-16. Operation of the
deposition of the solution from each nozzle 12-16 may be controlled
by a processor 18 by opening and closing suitable valves V1, V2 and
V3 associated with the nozzles 12-16. The processor 18 may also
control a suitable heat source 20 for melting the particles of
powdered material 22a-22c in each of the solutions 12a-16a after
each is deposited on a substrate. The heat source 20 may comprise
any device suitable for providing the required heat to melt the
particles 22a-22c. For example, the heat source 20 may be formed by
a laser or a diode laser light source. A high powered diode laser
system that may be suitable for use in forming the system 10 is
disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/785,484, filed Mar. 5, 2013 (U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0252687), and
assigned to Lawrence Livermore Security LLC, the teachings of which
are hereby incorporated by reference into the present
disclosure.
[0020] The processor 18 may include suitable software 18a which
includes information stored in a non-volatile memory, for example a
lookup table 18c stored in non-volatile random access memory 18b,
on specific temperatures and/or durations that need to be delivered
to melt the particles of powdered material 22a-22c in each solution
12a-16a. As such, the delivery of optical power can be specifically
"tuned" to the specific types of particles mixed into each of the
solutions 12a-16a in order to melt the different types of particles
within a determined time frame. The solutions 12a-16a in FIG. 1 may
have the particles of powdered material 22a, 22b and 22c,
respectively, suspended in volatile components 24a, 24b and 24c,
respectively. The volatile components 24a-24c each act as a carrier
fluid. The volatile components 24a-24c may comprise, for example,
methanol, ethanol, acetone or any other suitable fluid capable of
using latent heat of vaporization for cooling purposes.
[0021] Each solution 12a-12c is applied to a substrate 26 (or to a
previously formed material layer) while the solution 24a-24c is at,
or nearly at, its boiling point. As a result of the latent heat of
vaporization, the volatile component 24a-24c of each solution
12a-12c then evaporates, leaving just the previously suspended
particles of powdered material 22a-22b on the substrate 26 (or
previously formed material layer) in the desired configuration.
Importantly, the latent heat of evaporation effectively helps to
cool the surface, that is either the substrate 26 or the surface of
the previously formed layer(s), in the process.
[0022] Similar to how an inkjet printer delivers multi-colored ink,
the system 10 is able to deliver multiple types of powdered
materials. The powder layer remaining after the volatile component
24a-24c of each solution 12a-12c evaporates may be melted with the
heat source 20 using a predetermined amount of energy selected for
the specific type of powdered material. Thus, different types of
particles of powdered material may have different amounts/levels of
heat used to accomplish the melting of the particles thereof. The
next layer of solution 12a-12c can then be deposited onto the
surface of the just-formed layer and the material powder 22a-22b
subsequently melted using the heat source 20. The evaporative
cooling caused by the latent heat of vaporization of the volatile
component 24a-24c of each solution 12a-12c keeps the surface of the
previously formed material layer, and thus the part that is being
produced, at a relatively constant temperature. This is an
important benefit because it helps to maintain the entire part at
an acceptable temperature as one layer after another of the part is
built up using the system 10. As AM processes increase in speed in
the years to come, the waste process heat might be such that the
manufacturing process will need to periodically stop to give the
part time to cool down. This technique would eliminate that
need.
[0023] A particularly significant advantage of the system 10 is
that it enables the manufacturing of parts containing many
different materials to be fabricated in a single layer at once, or
substantially at once. Thus, as an example, portions of a part that
may require additional strength may be formed from one or more
types of powdered material while other portions of the part
requiring less strength can be formed using different types of
powdered material. The ability to form a single part from a
plurality of different powdered materials, and to be able to
control where each powdered material is deposited, enables the
physical properties of the produced part to be closely tailored to
meet specific performance requirements (e.g., durability,
longevity, thermal tolerance, stress tolerance, etc.) for the
produced part.
[0024] The system 10 also enables potentially faster powder
deposition over traditional "sweeping" methods typically employed
in an AM process. In such traditional methods, typically one raster
scan of material is laid down, with a plurality of scans (sometimes
dozens or even hundreds) being required to form a single material
layer. The system 10 enables multiple materials to be "printed"
simultaneously, or virtually simultaneously, using the heat source
20 to form an entire layer of the part at one time or substantially
at one time. The ability to cool the underlying surface on which
the newest layer of solution 12a-12c has been applied, using the
evaporative cooling which results from the latent heat of
vaporization of the volatile components 24a-24c, allows cooling to
be achieved at those locations on the part where the cooling is
needed the most.
[0025] While a bed of powder may still be necessary for support,
the bed can be made of materials that are of low cost while high
cost materials can still be used in the layer that form portions of
the actual part being produced. This eliminates the need to have a
powder bed full of the material that is to be printed, especially
if the printed part is small relative to the bed size, the material
to be printed is expensive, or of high density. The nozzles 12a-12c
can be rastered across the powder bed using the processor 18,
printing (i.e., depositing) either only where material is desired,
or printing material where desired to melt, and using a less
expensive or lighter weight filler material everywhere else. In
this regard it will be appreciated that by being able to use
different types of powdered materials, the system 10 may
potentially enable a part to be produced which is lighter than what
would otherwise be the case with an AM formed part made from a
single material.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart 100 is presented that
provides one example of various operations that may be carried out
in implementing the system 10 to make a specific part. At operation
102 the material reservoir(s) are each loaded with the different
types of solutions that have been selected to make the part. For
this example, it will be assumed that a plurality of different
solutions 12a-12c are being used, with each solution containing a
different type of powdered material 22a-22c and a specific volatile
component 24a-24c, which may be the same or which may differ from
one another. At operation 104 the processor 18 may be used to
control movement of the nozzles 12-16 to deposit the solutions
12a-16a at specific locations on the substrate 26 while the
volatile components 24a-24c of each of the solutions 12a-16a are at
or near their respective boiling points. The volatile component
24a-24c of each solution 12a-16a will evaporate very rapidly after
the solutions 12a-16a are deposited on the substrate 26, typically
within a few seconds or less, thus leaving only the powdered
materials 22a-22c.
[0027] At operation 106 the heat source 20 may then be used to melt
the powdered materials 22a-22c. The melting may be performed across
the entire material layer substantially at once, rather than by
raster scanning the heat source 20 back and forth over the
substrate 26. This significantly expedites the formation of each
layer of the part. As the melting of the powdered materials 22a-22c
occurs, the particles of each type of material are fused together.
Thus, any portions where powdered materials 22a remain will be
fused into a solid section of the material layer, and the same will
occur for powdered materials 22b and 22c.
[0028] At operation 108, a check is made by the processor 18 if the
entire part has been completed, and if not, then operations 104-108
are re-performed as many times as needed to form the entire part,
layer by layer. Once the check at operation 108 indicates that the
part is completely formed, the AM process is then complete.
[0029] The system 10 and method thus allows for a plurality of
powdered materials to be deposited, simultaneously, at each layer
of a part to tailor the use of materials to the physical
characteristics that are needed for the part. The latent heat of
vaporization of the fluid also enables the part to be maintained at
a reasonably consistent temperature during the AM process, which
would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve with a
conventional AM process.
[0030] While various embodiments have been described, those skilled
in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might
be made without departing from the present disclosure. The examples
illustrate the various embodiments and are not intended to limit
the present disclosure. Therefore, the description and claims
should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is
necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.
* * * * *