Binder solutions comprising a fugitive metal precursor for use in additive manufacturing

Abstract

A binder solution comprises a fugitive metal precursor, a thermoplastic binder, and a solvent. The fugitive metal precursor may comprise an alkaline earth metal, a transition metal, a post-transition metal, a metalloid, a rare earth metal, or combinations thereof. The fugitive metal precursor may comprise a salt such as carboxylate, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, formate, chloride, halide, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. A method of manufacturing a part includes depositing a layer of particulate material on a working surface, selectively applying a binder solution into the layer of particulate material in a pattern representative of a layer of the part, repeating the steps of depositing and selectively applying to form a plurality of layers of particulate material with the applied binder solution, and curing the applied binder solution in the plurality of layers of particulate material with the applied binder solution to evaporate the solvent and form a green body part.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.