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US 11,260,475 B2Granted
Method and system for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of crack-free aluminum alloys
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsPhilip Alexander Morton, Syed Zia Uddin, Ryan B. Wicker, David Espalin, Lawrence Eugene Murr
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Abstract
A method of forming a crack-free aluminum alloy structure using additive manufacturing is presented. A powder bed of precursor aluminum alloy powder is heated. The crack-free aluminum alloy structure is formed within a laser powder bed fusion system encompassing the powder bed during heating.
Claims23
A method of forming a crack-free aluminum alloy structure using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- forming a powder bed of precursor aluminum alloy powder in a powder bed fusion system, wherein the aluminum alloy powder comprises AA6061, AA2014, AA2017, AA2024, AA2219, AA5083, AA7050, AA7075, AA7150, AA7178, or AA7475;
- heating, with multiple heat sources, the powder bed of precursor aluminum alloy powder to a temperature in a range of 350° C. to 500° C.;
- and
- selectively melting the powder bed with an energy source to form the crack-free aluminum alloy structure, wherein the heat sources and multiple temperature sensors are used to monitor and control the temperature of specific regions of the aluminum alloy during formation, and wherein energy source parameters are adjusted dynamically and used in conjunction with the heat sources to control the temperature of the aluminum alloy to compensate for changing thermal gradient.
1 more element
A method of forming a crack-free aluminum alloy structure using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
- introducing a precursor aluminum alloy powder to a laser powder bed fusion system without nucleation aids, the aluminum alloy powder comprising one of AA6061, AA2014, AA2017, AA2024, AA2219, AA5083, AA7050, AA7075, AA7150, AA7178, or AA7475;
- heating, with multiple induction heaters, a powder bed of the precursor aluminum alloy powder within the laser powder bed fusion system to a temperature in the range of 350° C. to 500° C.;
- and
- selectively melting the powder bed with a laser to form the crack-free aluminum alloy structure from the aluminum alloy powder, wherein the induction heaters and multiple temperature sensors are used to monitor and control the temperature of specific regions of the aluminum alloy during formation, and wherein laser parameters are adjusted dynamically and used in conjunction with the induction heaters to control the temperature of the aluminum alloy to compensate for changing thermal gradient.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.