Ceramic blade and production method therefor
AssigneeLazorBlades, Inc.
InventorsRodney L. King, Theodore C. Crawford
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A blade of ceramic material is treated to enhance the strength and sharpness of the cutting edge. In one embodiment, ceramic particles along at least one margin of an edge-forming face are fused, such as by a laser treatment. The edge mardin can have a hard ceramic coating of a different ceramic material such as a nitride of chromium, zirconium, titanium, titanium carbon or boron. The hard ceramic coating can be used alone or in conjunction with the laser treatment. The invention includes the methods of treating the edge, both to form the hard ceramic coating and to fuse the particles by scanning with laser, such as an ultraviolet laser.
Claims37
A blade comprising a ceramic body formed as a matrix of ceramic particles of a selected particle size of at least one selected ceramic material, said ceramic body including a cutting edge defined by at least two converging faces such that margins of said two converging faces adjacent to the cutting edge define an edge portion for said blade and wherein at least some of said ceramic particles located on one margin and adjacent to one another have contacting surfaces that are thermally fused to one another.
A blade comprising a ceramic body formed as a matrix of ceramic particles of a first composition having a selected particle size, said ceramic body including a cutting edge defined by at least two converging faces such that margins of said two converging faces adjacent to the cutting edge define an edge portion for said blade and wherein at least one of said faces has a hard ceramic coating formed by a second ceramic material different from said first composition.
A method of forming a blade, comprising:
- (a) producing a production blank out of a ceramic material wherein the ceramic material is formed as a matrix of ceramic particles of a selected particle size;
- (b) forming an edge on said production blank;
- (c) in a margin of said blade that is adjacent to the edge, joining at least some of the ceramic particles that are in adjacent contact with to one another along contact areas by thermally fusing at least some said ceramic particles together along their respective contact areas.
A method of forming a blade according to claim wherein the selected wavelength is about 280 nanometers.
A method of forming a blade, comprising:
- (a) producing a production blank out of a ceramic material wherein the ceramic material is formed as a matrix of ceramic particles of a selected particle size;
- (b) forming an edge on said production blank;
- (c) depositing a metal coating on a margin of said production blank proximately to the edge and thereafter depositing a hard ceramic coating on top of the metal coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.