# US 12,109,595 B2 · Powder particle for shaped metal object

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- Number: US 12,109,595 B2
- Document ID: US12109595B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/015,934
- Filed: 2020-09-09
- Published: 2021-03-18
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-18
- Assignees: Nabtesco Corporation
- Applicants: Nabtesco Corporation
- Inventors: Tsutomu Yasui
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109595B2

## CPC

- B07C 5/3425: {of granular material, e.g. ore particles, grain (investigation moving fluids or granular solids using optical means G01N21/85)}
- B22F 1/065: Spherical particles
- B22F 1/102: Metallic powder coated with organic material
- B22F 1/142: Thermal or thermo-mechanical treatment
- B22F 1/16: Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10)
- B22F 10/00: Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder (apparatus or devices therefor B22F12/00)
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- B22F 10/34: of powder characteristics, e.g. density, oxidation or flowability
- B22F 10/39: Traceability, e.g. incorporating identifier into a workpiece or article
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 70/10: Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
- G01N 15/1031: by measuring electrical or magnetic effects
- G01N 15/1459: {the analysis being performed on a sample stream}
- G01N 15/147: {the analysis being performed on a sample stream}
- B07C 5/36: Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution {(sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02)}
- B22F 10/73: of powder
- B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
- B33Y 40/10: Pre-treatment
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- G01N 15/149: specially adapted for sorting particles, e.g. by their size or optical properties
- G01N 2015/1028: {Sorting particles}
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12)
- 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
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Provided are powder particles used for fabrication of a shaped metal object for which determination of an impurity therein can be easily performed, a manufacturing method thereof, a sorting device and sorting method thereof, a powder purity determination device and method, a powder storage method, a powder storage container, a method of manufacturing a shaped metal object, and a shaped metal object manufacturing apparatus. The powder particle for a shaped metal object includes a powder body made of metal, and an identification portion provided on or in the powder body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing powder particles used for fabrication of a shaped metal object, wherein when the sintering of the powder particles for the fabrication of the shaped metal object is completed, the shaped metal object is embedded in used powder particles that contain leftover powder particles, which were not used for the fabrication of the shaped metal object, and impurity, which is other than the leftover powder particles, the method comprising:
fabricating powder bodies made of metal; and
heating each of the powder bodies in an oxygen atmosphere to form an identification portion,
wherein the identification portion is configured to be decreased or modified or evaporated as a result of being impinged by a radiation beam at a sintering temperature at which the powder particles are sintered such that at least a portion of the powder particles that are impinged by the radiation beam is peeled off forming the impurity, and the identification portion being configured to distinguish the leftover powder particles in the used powder particles from the impurity, whose identification portion is decreased or modified or evaporated, in the used powder particles to reuse the leftover powder particles by detecting the decrease or modification or evaporation,
wherein the identification portion is made of an oxide of the metal.