Method of manufacturing dispersion strengthened copper and/or hyper-nucleated metal matrix composite resistance welding electrodes
OwnerBryan Prucherinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process of manufacturing dispersion strengthened copper (DSC) and/or hyper-nucleated metal matrix composite (HNMMC) resistance welding electrodes directly from a sintered powdered metal compact pre-form, and the electrode formed by the process. A major amount of DSC and/or HNMMC may be alloyed with a minor amount of a non-ferrous metal powder, such as silver, wherein to change a physical property of the final product, and the pre-form thus formed then cold formed or thixomolded into its final net shape.
Claims21
A process of manufacturing a resistance welding electrode, comprising the steps of:
- compacting a powdered metal material into a desired pre-form densified compact shape,
- sintering the compact shape in an inert atmosphere, and
- cold forming, as required, the resultant sintered powdered metal compact shape into its final net shaped finished electrode form.
A method of manufacturing a resistance welding electrode, comprising the steps of:
- preparing an amount of metal powder, wherein said metal powder is dispersion strengthened copper and/or a hyper-nucleated metal matrix composite,
- compacting and densifying the metal powder into a pre-form having a desired shape, said compacting and densifying producing a pre-form having a density of at least 85% of theoretical density,
- sintering the pre-form in an inert atmosphere, and
- shaping the resultant sintered metal powder pre-form into a final net shaped finished electrode form.
A method of making a resistance welding electrode, comprising:
- providing a supply of a suitably prepared metal powder mechanically alloyed with another metal powder to introduce a second phase, compacted and sintered into a billet,
- raising the temperature of the billet to a semi-solid state to form a semi-solid slurry of nearly spherical solid particles suspended in a liquid matrix, and feeding the billet into the injection chamber of an injection molding machine, and
- injecting the slurry into a preheated mold to make a final net shape or a perform shape for subsequent cold forming.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.