# US 12,599,962 B2 · System and method for treating additive powder

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- Number: US 12,599,962 B2
- Document ID: US12599962B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/776,571
- Filed: 2020-01-30
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2020-01-30
- Assignees: AP&C Advanced Powders & Coatings, Inc.
- Applicants: AP&C Advanced Powders & Coatings Inc.
- Inventors: Frederic Larouche
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12599962B2

## CPC

- B22F 1/16: Metallic particles coated with a non-metal (coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10)
- B22F 1/145: Chemical treatment, e.g. passivation or decarburisation
- B33Y 40/10: Pre-treatment
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- B22F 10/28: Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
- B22F 2301/052: Aluminium
- B22F 2301/15: Nickel or cobalt
- B22F 2301/205: Titanium, zirconium or hafnium
- B22F 2998/10: Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
- B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
- Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency
- 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
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A system and method for treating additive powder is provided. The method may include positioning the additive powder within a reactor chamber defined by the reactor; evacuating residual gases from the reactor chamber; increasing a reactor content temperature within the reactor chamber to a target temperature; agitating the additive powder; and injecting a gas mixture into the reactor chamber. The gas mixture includes a reactive gas for modifying a surface chemistry of the additive powder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of treating additive powder in a reactor, the method comprising:
positioning the additive powder within a reactor chamber defined by the reactor;
evacuating residual gases from the reactor chamber;
increasing a reactor content temperature within the reactor chamber to a target temperature;
agitating the additive powder; and
while agitating the additive powder, injecting a gas mixture into the reactor chamber, the gas mixture including a reactive gas for modifying a surface chemistry of the additive powder to obtain a modified surface chemistry, wherein the gas mixture includes the reactive gas in a percentage that is less than 0.1% by volume or 1000 parts per million of the gas mixture such that the modified surface chemistry of the additive powder has a more net neutral charge than the surface chemistry of the additive powder and the additive powder with the modified surface chemistry has an improved flowability than the additive powder without the modified surface chemistry.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein evacuating the residual gases from the reactor chamber comprises:
removing gases from the reactor chamber to create a vacuum within the reactor chamber; and
providing an inert gas into the reactor chamber to a predetermined pressure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein evacuating the residual gases from the reactor chamber comprises:
purging the reactor chamber with an inert gas.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
lowering the reactor content temperature at a controlled cooling rate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein that controlled cooling rate is less than 5 degrees Celsius per minute.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the controlled cooling rate is less than 1 degrees Celsius per minute.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein lowering the reactor content temperature comprises:
injecting an inert gas into the reactor chamber.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the target temperature is greater than 500 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the target temperature is greater than 700 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the target temperature is greater than 1000 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
holding the reactor content temperature of the reactor chamber at the target temperature for a holding period.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the holding period is inversely proportional to the target temperature.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the step of increasing the reactor content temperature within the reactor chamber to the target temperature comprises heating at a controlled heating rate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein that controlled heating rate is less than 10 degrees Celsius per minute.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas comprises at least one of nitrogen (N2) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas comprises oxygen (O2).

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas comprises carbon dioxide.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas comprises a hydrocarbon.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas comprises water vapor (H2O).

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the percentage of the reactive gas is between about 1000 ppm and 10000 ppm.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the percentage of the reactive gas is between about 5 ppm and 500 ppm.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the additive powder comprises Aluminum.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the additive powder comprises Titanium.

### Claim 24 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the additive powder comprises Nickel.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing the additive powder to an electron beam machine for an additive manufacturing process.

### Claim 26 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a rotary furnace and the step of stirring the additive powder comprising rotating the rotary furnace.

### Claim 27 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a continuously stirred tank reactor comprising one or more agitation elements for stirring the additive powder.

### Claim 28 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises a fluidized bed reactor and stirring the additive powder comprises providing a flow of high speed gas through the additive powder.

### Claim 29

A method of treating additive powder in a reactor, the method comprising:
positioning the additive powder within a reactor chamber defined by the reactor;
increasing a reactor content temperature within the reactor chamber to a target temperature;
stirring the additive powder; and
injecting a gas mixture into the reactor chamber, the gas mixture including a reactive gas for modifying a surface chemistry of the additive powder to obtain a modified surface chemistry, the modified surface chemistry of the additive powder having a more net neutral charge than the surface chemistry of the additive powder, wherein the concentration of the reactive gas in the gas mixture is between about 1 and 500 parts per million.

### Claim 30 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained additive powder has less than 100 ppm of an electronegative atom after injecting the gas mixture into the reaction chamber.

### Claim 31 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained additive powder has less than 1000 ppm of an electronegative atom after injecting the gas mixture into the reaction chamber.