# US 11,298,747 B2 · High fatigue strength porous structure > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,298,747 B2 - Document ID: US11298747B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/982,704 - Filed: 2018-05-17 - Published: 2018-11-22 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-18 - Assignees: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. - Applicants: Howmedica Osteonics Corp. - Inventors: Robert W. Klein; Lewis Mullen; Joseph Robinson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298747B2 ## CPC - A61F 2/3094: {Designing or manufacturing processes} - B22F 3/1115: {comprising complex forms, e.g. honeycombs} - B22F 5/10: of articles with cavities or holes, not otherwise provided for in the preceding subgroups - B22F 7/004: {comprising at least one non-porous part} - B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] - B22F 10/38: to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - A61F 2002/3092: {having an open-celled or open-pored structure} - A61F 2002/30985: {using three dimensional printing [3DP]} - B22F 10/80: Data acquisition or data processing - B22F 2003/247: {Removing material: carving, cleaning, grinding, hobbing, honing, lapping, polishing, milling, shaving, skiving, turning the surface} - B23K 15/0086: {welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. build-up welding} - B23K 26/342: Build-up welding - B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - 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 - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A porous apparatus includes a first layer and a second layer. The second layer has a plurality of struts. At least some of the struts define a porous geometry defining a plurality of faces, at least one of the plurality of the faces at least partially confronting the first layer. Each face is bounded by intersecting struts at vertices. Less than all of the vertices of each face of the porous geometry at least partially confronting the first layer are connected by a strut to the first layer. A process of producing the at least partially porous structure includes depositing and scanning metal powder layers. At least some of the scanned metal powder layers form either one or both of a portion of a first section of the structure and a portion of a second section of the structure formed by at least the struts defining the porous geometry. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of producing a porous structure comprising the steps of: depositing a first layer of a metal powder onto a substrate; scanning a portion of the first metal powder layer with a high energy beam to form either one or both of a portion of a first section of the structure and a portion of a plurality of struts forming porous geometries of a second section of the structure, each of the porous geometries corresponding to respective single unit cells; depositing successive layers of the metal powder onto respective previous metal powder layers; and scanning the successive metal powder layers with the high energy beam so that the first section, a cellular layer including the plurality of struts defining the porous geometries of the second section of the structure, and an interface layer including attachment struts attaching some of the porous geometries of the cellular layer to the first section are formed, wherein the plurality of struts of each of the porous geometries are attached to define vertices, and wherein each vertex of the porous geometries attached to the first section by the interface layer is attached to the first section of the structure by only a single one of the attachment struts. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the high energy beam is an electron beam or a laser beam. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the section of the structure is solid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment struts extend in the same direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment struts extend along axes extending through a central axis of the section. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the attachment struts have the same length. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the and second sections are made of a metal powder selected from the group consisting of titanium, titanium alloys, stainless steel, cobalt chrome alloys, tantalum and niobium. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the unit cells are in the form of an octahedron, a dodecahedron, or a tetrahedron. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of polishing the porous structure with a polishing material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the polishing material is abrasive. ### Claim 11 A method of producing a porous structure comprising the steps of: depositing a first layer of a metal powder onto a substrate; scanning a portion of the first metal powder layer with a high energy beam to form either one or both of a portion of a first section of the structure and a portion of a plurality of struts forming porous geometries of a second section of the structure; depositing successive layers of the metal powder onto respective previous metal powder layers; and scanning the successive metal powder layers with the high energy beam so that the section, a cellular layer including the plurality of struts defining the porous geometries of the second section of the structure, and an interface layer including attachment struts attaching some of the porous geometries of the cellular layer to the first section are formed, wherein, following the scanning steps, each of the porous geometries correspond to respective single unit cells, wherein the plurality of struts of each of the porous geometries is attached to define vertices, and wherein each vertex of the porous geometries attached to the section by the interface layer is attached to the section of the structure by only a single one of the attachment struts, the attachment struts being longer than the struts of the porous geometries. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the unit cells are in the form of an octahedron, a dodecahedron, or a tetrahedron. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the section of the structure is solid. ### Claim 14 A method of producing a porous structure comprising the steps of: depositing a first layer of a metal powder onto a substrate; scanning a portion of the first metal powder layer with a high energy beam to form either one or both of a portion of a first section of the structure and a portion of a plurality of struts forming porous geometries of a second section of the structure, each of the porous geometries corresponding to respective single unit cells; depositing successive layers of the metal powder onto respective previous metal powder layers; and scanning the successive metal powder layers with the high energy beam so that the section, a cellular layer including the plurality of struts defining the porous geometries of the second section of the structure, and an interface layer including attachment struts attaching some of the porous geometries of the cellular layer to the first section are formed, wherein each of the porous geometries attached to the first section by the interface layer define a plurality of faces at least partially confronting the first section of the structure, each face being bounded by intersecting struts at vertices, and wherein less than all of the vertices of each of the faces of the porous geometries at least partially confronting the first section of the structure are connected by a strut to the section of the structure, each such strut being one of the attachment struts. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the section of the structure is solid. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of polishing an internal portion of the porous structure by directing a polishing material to flow through the interface layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the polishing material is abrasive. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the interface layer defines pores having a larger pore size than all pores defined by the cellular layer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of polishing an internal portion of the porous structure by directing a polishing material to flow through the interface layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of polishing an internal portion of the porous structure by directing a polishing material to flow through the interface layer.