# US 11,028,476 B2 · Method of coating metallic powder particles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,028,476 B2 - Document ID: US11028476B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/648,776 - Filed: 2017-07-13 - Published: 2017-10-26 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-23 - Assignees: Raytheon Technologies Corporation - Applicants: United Technologies Corporation - Inventors: Ying She; James T. Beals - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11028476B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/4417: {Methods specially adapted for coating powder} - B01J 2/04: in a gaseous medium {(if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16)} - B01J 8/24: according to "fluidised-bed" technique (B01J8/20 takes precedence) - B05D 1/22: using fluidised-bed technique (fluidised-bed technique in general B01J8/24) - B22F 1/16: Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10) - B22F 10/34: of powder characteristics, e.g. density, oxidation or flowability - B22F 12/10: Auxiliary heating means - B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling - B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing - C22C 21/00: Alloys based on aluminium - C23C 16/01: on temporary substrates, e.g. substrates subsequently removed by etching - C23C 16/22: characterised by the deposition of inorganic material, other than metallic material - C23C 16/24: Deposition of silicon only - C23C 16/442: using fluidised bed process - B22F 12/70: Gas flow means - B22F 2201/00: Treatment under specific atmosphere - B22F 2998/00: Supplementary information concerning processes or compositions relating to powder metallurgy - C23C 16/4481: {by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material (C23C16/4486 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/45561: {Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber} - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02) - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A method and system for coating metallic powder particles is provided. The method includes: disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within a fluidizing reactor; removing moisture adhered to the powder particles disposed within the reactor using a working gas; coating the powder particles disposed within the reactor using a precursor gas; and purging the precursor gas from the reactor using the working gas. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within an inner vessel of a fluidizing reactor, the inner vessel entirely disposed within an outer vessel of the fluidizing reactor between an inner axial end and an outer axial end of the outer vessel and a radially-extending sidewall of the outer vessel extending from the inner axial end to the outer axial end, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel; and coating the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present within a precursor gas by directing the precursor gas through an annular region disposed between the inner vessel and the outer vessel and through the porous plate into the inner vessel; wherein the coating includes coating the metallic powder particulates with the material in an amount such that the coated metallic powder particulates have a level of reflectivity that is acceptable for subsequent processing of the coated metallic powder particulates within an additive manufacturing process. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: removing moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel using a working gas. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the coating occurs subsequent to said removing of moisture. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the removing moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the reactor using working gas includes heating the working gas to a predetermined temperature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: purging the precursor gas from the reactor using a working gas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic powder particulates are aluminum alloy. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the precursor gas comprises silicon. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the precursor gas is selected from the group consisting of silane (SiH4), disilane (Si2H6), chlorosilane (H3ClSi), or dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising heating a working gas and subsequently directing the heated working gas into the inner vessel for heating the metallic powder particulates. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the step of heating the working gas includes heating the working gas with a heat source disposed within the outer vessel. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: providing a system having a fluidizing reactor comprising an outer vessel and an inner vessel entirely disposed within the outer vessel, a precursor gas source, and a processor adapted to execute instructions to control and monitor operation of the system, wherein the processor is in communication with a memory operable to store the executable instructions, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel; disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within the inner vessel; and controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present in a precursor gas provided from the precursor gas source by directing the precursor gas through an annular region disposed between the inner vessel and the outer vessel and through the porous plate into the inner vessel; wherein the controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates includes coating the metallic powder particulates with the material in an amount such that the coated metallic powder particulates have a level of reflectivity that is acceptable for subsequent processing of the coated metallic powder particulates within an additive manufacturing process. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing the system to have a working gas source; and controlling the system to remove moisture adhered to the metallic powder particulates disposed within the reactor using a working gas provided from the working gas source. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: controlling the system to coat the metallic powder particulates subsequent to removing the moisture. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the working gas is at least one of an inert gas or a reducing gas. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: controlling the system to purge the precursor gas from the reactor using a working gas. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the metallic powder particulates are aluminum alloy. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the precursor gas comprises silicon. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the precursor gas is selected from the group consisting of silane (SiH4), disilane (Si2H6), chlorosilane (H3ClSi), or dichlorosilane (SiH2Cl2). ### Claim 19 A method comprising: providing a fluidizing reactor comprising an outer vessel and an inner vessel entirely disposed within the outer vessel, the inner vessel comprising a porous plate forming a portion of the inner vessel; disposing an amount of metallic powder particulates within the inner vessel; heating a working gas with a heat source disposed within the outer vessel and subsequently directing the heated working gas into the inner vessel for heating the metallic powder particulates; and coating the metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with a material present within a precursor gas; wherein the working gas and the precursor gas enter the outer vessel via an inlet, pass between the inner vessel and the outer vessel in an annular region defined between the inner vessel and the outer vessel, and enter the inner vessel via the porous plate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising cooling the coated metallic powder particulates disposed within the inner vessel with the working gas.